Handbook of Literary Rhetoric

Book excerpt: Lausberg's Handbook of Literary Rhetoric, here made available for the first time in English, received high critical acclaim on its first publication in 1963. It is a monumental work of extraordinary erudition, organisation and comprehensiveness, and enjoys unrivalled authority in its formal description of rhetorical techniques. The present edition is a translation of the second edition of 1973, which was reprinted in 1990. The Handbook has for many years been a standard reference work for all engaged in the study of literature and rhetoric. This translation will ensure its accessibility to a new generation of students of rhetoric.