The Art of Rhetoric : Gilded Pocket Edition

The Art of Rhetoric is Aristotle's foundational treatise on the theory and practice of persuasive speech, presented here in a Gilded Pocket Edition from Arcturus's Ornate Classics series, translated by J. H. Freese.

Across three books, Aristotle sets out the principles behind effective argument, identifying the three core modes of persuasion, appeals to logic (logos), character (ethos) and emotion (pathos), and the three main types of oratory: political, legal and ceremonial.

He examines how emotion and character influence an audience's judgement, explains the use of the enthymeme as rhetoric's equivalent of logical proof, and closes with practical advice on style, structure and delivery.

Written more than two thousand years ago, it remains one of the most influential works ever produced on the art of persuasion, and continues to underpin the study of rhetoric, communication and debate today.