Professor James Engell, who we interview in this week's "Word Count" feature, recommends these books on rhetoric and oration:
The Art of Public Speaking By Stephen Lucas
Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student by Edward P. J. Corbett
Analyzing Prose by Richard A. Lanham
Lincoln, Douglas, and Slavery: In the Crucible of Public Debate by David Zarefsky
Norms of Rhetorical Culture by Thomas B. Farrell ("Not for the absolute beginner but tremendously rewarding.")