Voices From the Past: A year of great quotations – and the stories from history that inspired them

By W.B. Marsh

366 quotations - one for every day of the (leap) year - each with a fascinating historical story

In a treasure trove for history buffs, W. B. Marsh fleshes out the context behind famous quotations associated with each day of the year, sending us back and forth in history from the time of the Ancient Egyptians to the world we live in today.

'You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war.' (25 April 1898) Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst urges war artist Frederick Remington to stay in Cuba while Hearst publishes lurid tales of an imaginary conflict.

'I am tasting the stars!' (4 August 1693) The monk Dom Pérignon tests the result of his new techniques in the making of sparkling wine, and champagne is born.

'I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation.' (20 March 1852) Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom's Cabin, the nineteenth century's bestseller apart from the Bible.

'From the sublime to the ridiculous is only a step.' (18 October 1812) Napoleon's all-conquering Grande Armée begins its slow and ignominious retreat from Moscow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: Oct 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781785786648

Reviews for Voices From the Past

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 What a fun book. It's a project for a year (which explains why it took so long for me to finally review it!) or it can simply be a delightful browsable book. Each day has a quote and the story from history that inspired the quote. Read through the book, day by day, or simply pick and choose among the quotes. Either way, it's full of reading joy.

[purpledog-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a history buff and Voices From the Past by W. B. Marsh is the perfect book to satisfy that craving for history and knowledge. As the title suggests, it is a quote per day from well-known historical figures such as Napoleon and Julius Caesar. Each quote is followed by a brief history lesson on the origin of the quote. On the aesthetics side, I loved that the book is well indexed. Several times I used it to look up quotes I had read and wanted to refresh my memory on. The layout is nicely done also. I particularly liked that the book has a satin ribbon to mark your place or a particular quote you like. As for the quotes themselves, I found them interesting and they represented a large span of time. The author put a lot of thought into the ones that were included in this book. Quotes are a dime a dozen. All you have to do is look on any website about quotes and it will usually contain thousands of them. However, as a rule, they do not have the interesting historical tidbits behind them. And the tidbits is what makes them so fascinating and why I enjoyed this book so much. I highly recommend this book for any quote and/or history lover. It would make a great gift. Also, it looks nice on my coffee table and has started a few conversations.I received a free copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing’s early reviewer program, in exchange for my honest review.

[hammockqueen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Quite the tome of interesting information to be read in small doses. I certainly haven’t finished but am enjoying each daily page.

[knightlight777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a compilation of quotations of known and maybe not so known individuals from history. The layout gives each day of the year a quotation and some background as a daily food for thought approach that I look forward to participating in. The format and production is superb and the effort and research into putting out a edition to any book lover, or lover of the written word a way to celebrate each day in the year ahead. Hopefully a much more promising year to turn the tide on 2020!

[sbojo32 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of all, this is a giant book. With over 600 pages, this is not one that is meant to be read in a sitting. Rather, this is the expanded version of a page a day calendar for history buffs. Each day has a quote from history and then about a page or more explaining the quote or the event in history where it came from. It's really interesting and cool as some of the quotes are well-known and others are not.I'd recommend this book for any history buff as a great gift!

[bks1953 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It would be quite unfair to the LT community for me to read one entry a day from W.B. Marsh's "Voices From the Past" and then submit a review of the book to a candid world. so, instead, leave us just select date or two at random (and one or two of not so randomly selected), and see what we get! From an initial perusal, "Voices" can be described as a blending, if you will, of John Carey's "Eyewitness to History" (Harvard University Press, 1987) and William O. Douglas's "Almanac of Liberty" (Doubleday and Company, 1954). Its dustjacket describes "Voices" as a book of "great quotations for every day of the year -- and the stories from the history that inspired them." So, leave us peruse some great quotes (and the stories behind them} together! We'll begin with the day this copy arrived, 29 November. Marsh gives us this delicious quote: "It is better to eat the dog than be eaten by the dog." Uttered by one British nobleman, William Montagu, in 1330, to the future Edward III. Seems that a baron, Roger Mortimore, "had seduced Edward's mother and probably murdered his father" (among other things). On 29 Nov. 1330, Edward III heeded his Montagu's advice, and Mortimore was hanged for treason. Let's have a peek at 8 December, the day of "Voices"'s publication. Oh my, another royal intrigue! Across the channel this time, to Paris, and four centuries later (1793), where we witness Madame du Barry (mistress to Louis XV} being taken to the guillotine. The quote, "She dishonoured the scaffold as she dishonoured the throne" was the observation of French politician and writer Alphonse de Lamartine. Also, we're given a bonus for this date!: Marsh advises us that on this same day, in 1976, Gore Vidal honestly and acidly "defines ambition in America: 'It is not enough to succeed is not enough to succeed. Other must fail.'" To conclude, let's visit the very first day of the year. "Hail Caesar!" We who are about to die salute you." Marsh writes that this "was the opening ritual in the bloodiest entertainment ever devised, one that had been part of Roman life since the 3rd century BC. But today [1 January 404],the savage spectacle of man killing man for sport made its last appearance, its final victim ... a Christian monk." In the time it took you to read this, you read and walked through some 13 centuries. Saw perhaps too much blood spilled, but hey, this is human history, there's a lot of it. But there are many non-lethal dates in "Voices" as well ... peruse its 366 days its 660-ish pages, and see for yourself.

[briandrewz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book meant to give you a quotation a day. After reading the quote, you are given the story of how that quote came to be. It's a perfect book to savor as a daily reading, or you can read it in bigger chunks to satisfy your quotable cravings. The quotes range from ancient to modern, so there is something here for everyone.

[figre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Technically, a book should be read from cover to cover before completing a review. That ain’t gonna happen here. And there’s a good reason. Such a forced reading would ruin it. Let’s dig in, shall we?First, the basics. The book is titled Voices from the Past with the subtitle “Great Quotations for Every Day of the Year and the Stories from History that Inspired Them.” Okay, that’s a long subtitle. And I think I can be excused for not thinking about what that really meant when I asked to receive a copy. What I expected was, basically, a page for each day with a quote and a nice little blurb. I expected something, shall we say, slight; enjoyable, but slight. I think it is safe to say that we can all agree 680 pages (including the index) is not slight. That is because this book contains an incredible amount of information. Information that is fascinating and worth the time.Accordingly, this is not a book that should be rushed through. It is built to be read…daily. For each quote there are two to three pages of detail – the history surrounding the quote and the broader impacts and ramifications. That means there is a lot of information here. And time should be spent to ingest what is presented. And another issue with which I was pleasantly surprised… Let’s face it, when we think of history, we each tend to focus on where we are – the last hundred years, the country in which we reside, etc. Our personal myopias impact what we think history is comprised of. Well, there are no boundaries in this book. Within the first few days of reading I came across quotes which occurred anywhere between 250 AD and 1947. And they included historical events from the US, France, and China, among many others.I hope it is evident by now, but I am pleasantly surprised by this book. It has already become my practice to read the day’s entry first thing in the morning. It gives me something different to think about during the day, something that influences my work. And reading it first thing allows the ideas to percolate, bringing new insights and fresh ideas to what I just read.Finally, I have a feeling this daily reading will continue well past completion of the book. As already noted, there is a lot to digest. And I have the feeling that each rereading will be rewarded with new appreciations of what is being said.In other words, this is a good book that teaches (a bad word choice, but I can’t come up with better right now) while providing insights into who we are and who we have been. And no one would go wrong making this a part of their routine.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Voices from the Past: Great Quotations for Every Day of the Year by W.B. MarshThis is the kind of book that one keeps on the nightstand and reads a bit of every night for the year. It will become a trusted friend, one the reader will look forward to, to happily close out the day. The anecdotal stories about each day are interesting and enlightening. I only just began the book, because I chose to read one date at a time beginning with the date it arrived. The book conveniently has a ribbon bookmark to hold the place. Already I have learned about Stalin, Marx, Napoleon and a Pope. Each of the quotation selections has captivated me with the interesting information which in small bites is really easy to absorb! I do recommend this book as the reader’s new companion.

[mysterymax_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

720 pages makes this book a real door stopper! Set up like a diary, by date, there's a quote (some well known, others not) and a description of the events around the quote. I immediately read the one for the day I received the book, then the one for my birthday. Interesting stuff. Would make a spectacular gift for a history buff.

[mm_jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating compendium of historical quotes with its place in history. The book is arranged in a daily format, so you can enjoy either by following daily or by random selection. A great book for the history buff that enjoys the story behind the quote or just the randomly curious.