'A beautiful, complex, and powerful book about the beauty, complexity, and power of words. This is a major scholarly contribution to the rhetorical turn in political theory that offers an original and at times startling reading of eloquence, its long history as an object of study and practice, and its political potential for contemporary democracy. Impeccably researched, masterfully argued, but above all employing its own form of captivating eloquence, this book is a delight to read from beginning to end.' Simone Chambers, University of California, Irvine