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Churchill had a way of mixing humor, invective and sarcasm to drive home his point, but never in a base or vulgar way. He never pandered to the audience or talked down to them; he spoke honestly in a determined and forthright manner that assumed a level of intelligence capable of understanding whatever he said.
Churchill was the most quotable of twentieth century world leaders. Who could forget his cut at Mussolini: "An Italian sausage in a Sam Browne belt." Or this gem about truth which should have been played weekly during the political scandals of the 1990s: "Truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance deride it, but in the end, there it is."
This book also serves as an excellent historical reference. It is thoroughly indexed and has a comprehensive table of contents. The editor has written a helpful preface to each series of speeches to provide background for the modern reader. The book should prove interesting to any history buff, and should read like poetry to those who love the English language, properly used.
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Robert Burns wrote about every topic you could imagine - love, nature, politics, people, anything that was topical in the late eighteenth century. Among the most famous poems are A red red rose (including the line Till a' the seas gang dry my dear), To a louse (including the line O wad the Power some giftie gie us) and To a mouse (including the line The best laid schemes o' mice and men).
The poems and songs are presented chronologically in the order of date written. Personally, I would have preferred the book divided into chapter, with each chapter covering a different theme, but it doesn't really matter. There is an index of first lines as well as an index of titles.
A glossary is provided to allow translation from Scottish to English. People sometimes joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by a common language, but this glossary is a reminder that the same can be said about Scotland and England. I cannot say how easy or difficult you will find the dialect. I was born of Scottish parents so I learned a bit as a child even though I was raised in England. Hopefully, you will most of it reasonably straightforward with a bit of practice. The quality of the poetry makes it well worth the effort.
Within the main book, at the bottom of each page, footnotes are provided to set the context of the poem or song where this is deemed useful. For example, Ballad of the American war has footnotes giving brief details of events between 1775 and 1784, so you will immediately realise that the poem doesn't just focus on the war itself, but also its aftermath.
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There have been a number of insulting stories surrounding Sid's life, habits, and personality, but this book shows him to be every bit the loveable rogue that we see on film - as well as, of course, being human.
Robert Ross has gone to great lengths to interview the people who knew Sid and were closest to him, and therefore this book can safely claim to portray the truth.
What can I do?