Is it fair to judge early Green rhetoric by the standards of Plato and Aristotle? In The Origins of Rhetoric in Anceint Greece , Thomas Cole argues that it is not; yet this is precisely the path taken by current scholarship on the subject. Arguing against this view, Cole sees early Greek rhetoric as largely unsystematic efforts to explore, more by example then by precept, all aspects of discouse. (One might as well term these efforts philosophy as rhetoric, since neither term was current at the time.) Replacing these early texts by such treatises as the Rhetoric of Aristotle, Cole explains, can only be understood as part of a gradual process, as artistic prose came to be disseminated in written texts and so available in a form that, for the first time, could be analyzed, evaluated, and closely imitated. [An] important and challenging book . . . Cole's re-seeing of the evidence is compelling and provocative. Certainly it willbe of great interest to serious students of rhetoric, Greek prose, indeed, of ancient literature. ― Classical World One of the most intelligent and illuminating books on early prose literature. ― Journal of Hellenic Studies Cole's book is a welcome addition to the field of classical rhetorical studies . . . It is a good example of erudite scholarship. ― Quarterly Journal of Speech Provocative . . . The evidence Cole assembles is as interesting as his thesis. ― Philosophy and Rhetoric Cole sees early Greek rhetoric as largely unsystematic efforts to explore, more by example than by precept, all aspects of discourse. (One might as well term these efforts philosophy as rhetoric, since neither term was current at the time.) Thomas Cole is professor of Greek and Latin at Yale University. Used Book in Good Condition