Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899)

Ingersoll sets out to demonstrate that the stories told about the horrifying, fearful deaths of the great infidels were a fiction of the Christian community. He examines the deaths of a number of infidels (most of whom were actually believers, but not orthodox), and comes to the conclusion that they died as peacefully as any Christian in good standing with the church. As usual, Ingersoll presents his ideas with style and flair, the rhetoric lifting his discussion above the mundane. A short work, easily read.… (more)

A not-unexpected pleasure, this work collects some of the Colonel's essays into a thin, easy to read volume. While many of these have been published in one place or another before, it is a treat to encounter them again as though for the first time. Recognizing favorite phrases, finding new rhetorical flourishes, and just dreaming about a world that appreciates great oratory. It's sad to think about what we lost when we quit going to lectures to hear the thundering of rhetoric by men trained in the art. Ingersoll makes our public intellectuals look like chopped liver.… (more)

The letters of Ingersoll are nearly as sublime as the oratory of Ingersoll; however, this collection did contain a number of letters that were just routine notes thanking people for something or inviting people over that had little to no soaring rhetoric. That's OK; even the most sublime speakers are allowed to be ordinary sometimes, and Ingersoll certainly delivers plenty of worthwhile prose in his letters. My one complaint is the non-letter biographical information. Some of it is helpful and useful for following the letters, but there really is too much and a great deal of redundancy. Some of the stories about Ingersoll were interesting and entertaining, but it is easy to get bogged down in the minutiae when you really want to read Ingersoll. I thought the least of the sections was the section on art and music; it was mostly short notes about invitations or places he'd been without as many of his outstanding insights on the world. There were a couple of that nature, but not enough in that section. Overall, a satisfying read, but you need to allow a bit of time - the book is over 700 pages.… (more)