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
• Politics and government
• Religious and inspirational quotations
• Proverbs, aphorisms, and regional quotation
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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