Words Like Loaded Pistols: The Power of Rhetoric from the Iron Age to the Information Age [Paperback]

An engaging exploration of how people have taught, practiced, and thought about rhetoric—from the Iron Age to today 

“An entertaining history of great oratory.” —New Yorker 
 
Rhetoric gives our words the power to inspire. But it’s not just for politicians: it’s all around us, whether you’re buttering up a key client or persuading your children to eat their vegetables. You have been using rhetoric yourself, all your life. After all, you know what a rhetorical question is, don’t you?
 
InWords Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of argument from ancient Greece through the present day. He introduces verbal villains from Hitler to Donald Trump—and the three musketeers: ethos, pathos, and logos. He explains how rhetoric works in speeches from Cicero to Zelensky and pays tribute to the rhetorical brilliance of AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” Before you know it, you’ll be confident in chiasmus and proud of your panegyrics—because rhetoric is useful, relevant, and crucial to understanding the world around us.Sam Leithis the literary editor of theSpectator whose work has appeared in theTimes, theGuardian, theTimes Literary Supplement, and the New York Times, among other outlets. He is the author of several books, includingWrite to the Point: How to Be Clear, Correct, and Persuasive on the Page. He lives in London."Delightful and illuminating....Words Like Loaded Pistolssports a fabulous assortment of examples of time-tested rhetorical gambits in action.... The marvel is not that the old techniques still work, but that we ever persuaded ourselves that we could do without them."Salon"In this entertaining work of scholarship, Sam Leith revives the powerful discipline of classical rhetoric....Leith is a gifted listelS'