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Writers and Editors (RSS feed)

FOR THE SPEECHWRITER’S REFERENCE SHELF

compiled by Joan Detz and Pat McNees
(originally posted by Washington Speechwriters Roundtable)

Let us know of resources you found helpful that aren't listed here.

General anthologies of quotations

Guides to pronunciation

Special-occasion resources 

Business and corporate life

Politics and government
Religious and inspirational quotations

Humor and irreverence

Proverbs, aphorisms, and regional quotation

Great speeches collections

How to give a speech

GENERAL COLLECTIONS OF QUOTATIONS


The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women, ed. Rosalie Maggio.
The Speaker’s Sourcebook: Quotes, Stories, and Anecdotes for Every Occasion, ed. Glenn Van Ekeren
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations : A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature, ed. by John Bartlett
The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes
Simpson's Contemporary Quotations: Most Notable Quotes From 1950 to the Present (ed. by James S. Simpson) boo
Webster’s New World Dictionary of Quotable Definitions, ed. Eugene E. Brussell.
New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources, ed. H.L. Mencken.
Random House Webster’s Quotationary, ed. Leonard Roy Frank.
The International Thesaurus of Quotations, ed. Rhoda Thomas
Statistically Speaking, ed. C.C. Gaither and A.E. Cavozov-Gaither.
Speaker’s Treasury of Sports Anecdotes, Stories, and Humor, ed. Gerald Tomlinson.
The Military Quotation Book, ed. James Charlton (no index).

GUIDES TO PRONUNCIATION

NBC Handbook of Pronunciation by Eugene Ehrlich and Raymond Hand, Jr.
Is There a Cow in Moscow? by Charles Harrington Elster
There is no zoo in zoology: And other beastly mispronounciations : an opinionated guide for the well-spoken by Charles H. Elster <!--more-->
The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations by Charles H. Elster


SPECIAL-OCCASION RESOURCES



Farewell, Godspeed: The Greatest Eulogies of Our Time, ed. Cyrus M. Copeland
Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces by Paul Dickson
Irish Blessings, Toasts & Curses, ed. Padraic O’Farrell
The Book of Ages ed. Desmond Morris
The Oxford Book of Ages chosen by Allan and Sally Sampson (clever quotes for special birthdays.
The Wisdom of Christmas, ed. Criswell Freeman (quotations and verses)
Witty Words: A Hilarious Collection of Outrageous Quotations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Eileen Mason
Timelines of Everything (Smithsonian) An illustrated history of the world through timelines for kids
Dying: A Book of Comfort, ed. Pat McNees (or buy the book directly from Pat and get an autographed version)
Can You Say a Few Words? by Joan Detz (How to Prepare and Deliver a Speech for Any Special Occasion--that is, how to make award presentations, dedications, eulogies, etc.)

BUSINESS AND CORPORATE LIFE


Quotable Business: Over 2,800 Funny, Irreverent, and Insightful Quotations About Corporate Life, ed. Louis E. Boone.
The Manager’s Book of Quotations, ed. Lewis Eigen and Jonathan Siegel.
Gene Perret's Funny Business: Speaker's Treasury of Business Humor for All Occasions

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT


The Bully Pulpit: Quotations from America's Presidents ed. Elizabeth Frost
Congressional Anecdotes by Paul Boller, Jr. (Oxford)
Speaker’s Treasury of Political Stories, Anecdotes, & Humor , ed. Gerald Tomlinson.
Power Quotes, ed. Daniel B. Baker.
The Wit & Wisdom of Politics, ed. Charles Henning.
Presidential Wit and Wisdom ed. by Charlotte Lee Gross

RELIGIOUS AND INSPIRATIONAL QUOTATIONS


Treasury of Religious Quotations, ed. Gerald Tomlinson
Speakers Sourcebook ed. Eleanor Doan.
Pocket Positive--Faith & Belief, ed. John Cook.
C. S. Lewis' Little Book of Wisdom: Meditations on Faith, Life, Love, and Literature, ed. by Andrea Kirk Assaf and Kelly Anne Leahy
12,000 Inspirational Quotations, ed. Frank S. Mead.
The Routledge Dictionary of Religious and Spiritual Quotations, ed. Geoffrey Parringer
Book of Positive Quotations, ed. John Cook

HUMOR AND IRREVERENCE


The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations ed. Fred Metcalf
The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, ed Ned Sherrin.
Cassell's Humorous Quotations, ed. Nigel Rees.
The Complete Book of Zingers, ed. Croft M. Pentz
Dictionary of Outrageous Quotations, ed. C.R.S. Marsden.

PROVERBS, APHORISMS, AND REGIONAL QUOTATIONS


The Viking Book of Aphorisms, ed. W.H. Auden and Louis Kronenberger.
The Oxford Book of Aphorisms, ed. John Gross
The Penguin Dictionary of Proverbs, ed. Rosalind Fergusson

GREAT SPEECHES COLLECTIONS


Great Speeches of the Twentieth Century, collected by George Skene (four audio CDs or audiocassettes)
Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, ed. by William Safire
The World's Great Speeches, ed. Lewis Copeland, Lawrence Lamm, and Stephen McKenna
Farewell, Godspeed: The Greatest Eulogies of Our Time, ed. Cyrus M. Copeland

HOW TO GIVE A SPEECH


How to Write and Give a Speech: A Practical Guide for Anyone Who Has to Make Every Word Count. by Joan Detz. A how-to classic.
I Can See You Naked: A Fearless Guide to Making Great Presentations by Ron Hoff (Andrews & McMeel)
Is There a Speech Inside You? by Don Aslett. Practical tips, lighthearted style.
The Power of Eloquence by Thomas Montalbo (Prentice-Hall). What makes a speech like “I Have a Dream” eloquent.
The Smile Connection: How to Use Humor in Dealing with People, by Esther Blumenfeld and Lynne Alpern.

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