Phillips Brooks, Vol. 30

Phillips Brooks, author of the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem, was the rector of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston for 22 years and the Bishop of Massachusetts for 15 months until his death in 1893. This volume in the Great American Orators series focuses on Brooks' oratorical style and the public's response to his rhetoric. Chesebrough provides a biographical sketch of Brooks' life emphasizing the development and use of his oratorical skills and placing him within the secular and ecclesiastical contexts of his times. Attention is given to Brooks' development as a public speaker and to his manner of sermon preparation and delivery. Three of Brooks' sermons are printed in their entirety: Abraham Lincoln, The Cradle of the Lord, and Help from the Hills, preceded by introductory remarks and a brief analysis of the sermon. This examination of Brooks' rhetoric will appeal to scholars of rhetoric and of American theology and American religious history, especially Episcopal history.

Discusses the oratory of Phillips Brooks, a 19th century Episcopal clergyman and author of the carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

Booknews

A study of the speeches and sermons of Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal rector in Philadelphia and Boston in the 19th century. Part I sketches the life of Brooks with special emphasis placed on the development and use of his oratorical skills, and places Brooks within the secular and ecclesiastic contexts of his times. Part II presents three of his sermons in their entirety. Each discourse is preceded by introductory remarks and brief analysis. Chesebrough teaches history at Illinois State University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

DAVID B. CHESEBROUGH is a member of the graduate faculty with the Department of History at Illinois State University.