Product description

Great Speeches of the 20th Century

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Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0081227056728
Label : Rhino / Wea
Manufacturer : Rhino / Wea
Publisher : Rhino / Wea
Release date : 1991-09-24
Title : Great Speeches of the 20th Century
Format : Box set
Original release date : 1991-10-01
Studio : Rhino / Wea
MPN : 70567
Number of discs : 4

Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
Students and teachers of history, enthusiasts of speechmaking, and folks needing something different to spice up those mix tapes with will enjoy this inspired four-disc tour of a century. It's a bit heavy on events a baby boomer is most likely to be interested in, but there's nothing wrong with knowing one's audience. For the most part, these recordings make 20th-century history appear to be happening right now. It might sound clichéd, but it really is a thrill to hear history in the making: Woodrow Wilson lying to the American Indians, Gloria Steinem addressing the National Organization for Women, the launch of sputnik, Dr. King delivering the "I Have a Dream" speech with intense clarity and emotion, Kennedy delivering his infamous address to the nation after being sworn in, the very first recording ever made on an Edison phonograph, Nixon resigning in shame, Hitler hatefully ranting about Germanic expansionism, Malcolm X powerfully speaking on black power, Babe Ruth saying good-bye to baseball, and Neil Armstrong uttering those famous words as he first steps onto the moon. --Mike McGonigal

Customer reviews

review by: Bookoholic date: 2007-03-25 rating:

great speeches
It was what I needed for my high school public speaking class. The students are able to listen to great speeches. This way they had a reference to what makes an excellent speech.

review by: Mark date: 2005-06-21 rating:

A good collection of snippets.
I have to admit I bought this CD set mainly for Winston Churchills "Darkest Hour" speech,then thought "Hey I could get all sorts of great speeches at once. All the speeches are pretty impressive and some of them are a little creepy to hear. I mean to "HEAR" a President talk about the "Indians" when they were still living on the plains and in the mountains of America is just strange.
Some of the speeches are complete, however Churchills "Darkest Hour" was not one of them. Over all it was a great collection, but I wish that some of the speeches had not been trunkated. You might look for a CD that more accurately targets what you're looking for than trying to get a one stop shop with this set.

review by: johnrktx@sbcglobal.net date: 2005-01-29 rating:

A Good Anthology of Forgotten Talent---
Particularly in this day of manufactured charisma on television, great public speaking has become a lost art--look at what we are using for President right now! This set will serve as a reminder of what we used to enjoy, particularly on the political scene. Certainly, a Franklin Roosevelt or a John Kennedy only comes once in a great moon and this is an opportunity to remember what we have had, and lost. I have had this set for several years and my only regret is that it isn't longer; I suppose for practicality's sake the entire texts of the speeches couldn't be included. Sound quality is remarkable, particularly for the old pre-electric recordings. It will probably be a surprise to many to actually hear the pre-FDR Presidents speak; again, they were not homogenized in the manner popular now.

This is a great 'starter' set for those who enjoy the spoken word for its own sake.

review by: date: 2004-05-15 rating:

Great classroom resource
This is a must for any US History teacher. It's one thing to read a landmark speech, quite another to hear it as you read along. Studying history is much more interesting when students can "touch" "hear" "see" it. To have the actual voice putting inflection and feeling to the words makes it more memorable. Students today are so visual that merely listening to the speech is ineffective. (trust me, they will fall asleep.) Hand out a printed copy of the speech for them to read along with and highlight key points. It's also helpful when students are taking the AP US History exam to be able to quote speeches in their DBQs.

review by: date: 2003-01-27 rating:

Important Set--Good for school use
As a teacher this set is invaluable. The recordings are well-chosen and nicely mastered. It's a good survey of 20th century audio recordings.

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