Anthony Galvin

Death and Destruction on the Thames in London

More people are afraid of public speaking than of dying. Yet with proper preparation giving a speech is not difficult. Anyone can learn to speak effectively. This guide lets you in on the secrets of writing a good speech, and unlocks the power of body language. You will learn how to prepare your speech, and how to deliver it with power and conviction. You will also find advice on how to control your nerves and overcome your fears. Whether you are Best Man, delivering a sales pitch, or just saying a few words at a meeting, it pays to be well prepared. You will discover how to deliver your message in a powerful way, using humour, your own personal stories, and targeted research to support your ideas. No matter what your level of experience you will find useful hints and helpful information in this essential guide to public speaking. Chapter headings: First Steps Structuring Your First Speech Opening and Closing Body of the Speech Presentational Skills Visual Aids and Other Gimmicks Humour Nuts and Bolts Memorising Weddings Work Speeches Other Speeches Taking it Further This guide lets you in on the secrets of writing a good speech, and unlocks the power of body language. You will learn how to prepare your speech, and how to deliver it with power and conviction. You will also find advice on how to control your nerves and overcome your fears. Whether you are Best Man, delivering a sales pitch, or just saying a few words at a meeting, it pays to be well prepared. You will discover how to deliver your message in a powerful way, using humour, your own personal stories, and targeted research to support your ideas. No matter what your level of experience you will find useful hints and helpful information in this essential guide to public speaking. Author: Anthony Galvin

The Essential Guide

Public Speaking

A shocking exploration of America’s preferred method of capital punishment. In early 2013, Robert Gleason became the latest victim of the electric chair, a peculiarly American execution method. Shouting Póg mo thóin (“Kiss my ass” in Gaelic), he grinned as electricity shot through his system. When the current was switched off, his body slumped against the leather restraints, and Gleeson, who had strangled two fellow inmates to ensure his execution was not postponed, was dead. The execution had gone flawlessly—not a guaranteed result with the electric chair, which has gone horrifically wrong on many occasions. Old Sparky covers the history of capital punishment in America and the “current wars” between Edison and Westinghouse that led to the development of the electric chair. It examines how the electric chair became the most popular method of execution in America before being superseded by lethal injection. Famous executions are explored, alongside quirky last meals and poignant last words. The death penalty remains a hot topic of debate in America, and Old Sparky does not shy away from that controversy. Executions have gone spectacularly wrong, with convicts being set alight or needing up to five jolts of electricity before dying. There have been terrible miscarriages of justice, and the death penalty has not been applied even-handedly. Historically, African Americans, the mentally challenged, and poor defendants have been likely to get the chair, an anomaly which led the Supreme Court to briefly suspend the death penalty. Since the resumption of capital punishment in 1976, Texas alone has executed more than five hundred prisoners, and death row is full.

The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty

Old Sparky

Michael Sheridan

Richard Harris was a giant who oozed charisma on screen. But off screen he was troubled and addicted to every pleasure life could offer. Coming from a repressed Irish Catholic background, he was forced by a teenage illness to abandon his beloved rugby, but not his macho appetites. Discovering theatre saved him. He had found his calling. Despite marrying the daughter of a peer, he never tried to fit in. He was always a hell-raiser to the core, along with legendary buddies Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole. But he was more; he was a gifted poet and singer. He was an intelligent family man who took great interest in his craft, a Renaissance man of the film world. Every time his excesses threatened to kill his career – and himself – he rose magnificently from the ashes, first with an Oscar-winning performance as Bull McCabe in The Field, then in the Harry Potter franchise.

The Life of Richard Harris

A Man Called Harris

A shocking exploration of America’s preferred method of capital punishment. In early 2013, Robert Gleason became the latest victim of the electric chair, a peculiarly American execution method. Shouting Póg mo thóin (“Kiss my ass” in Gaelic), he grinned as electricity shot through his system. When the current was switched off, his body slumped against the leather restraints, and Gleeson, who had strangled two fellow inmates to ensure his execution was not postponed, was dead. The execution had gone flawlessly—not a guaranteed result with the electric chair, which has gone horrifically wrong on many occasions. Old Sparky covers the history of capital punishment in America and the “current wars” between Edison and Westinghouse that led to the development of the electric chair. It examines how the electric chair became the most popular method of execution in America before being superseded by lethal injection. Famous executions are explored, alongside quirky last meals and poignant last words. The death penalty remains a hot topic of debate in America, and Old Sparky does not shy away from that controversy. Executions have gone spectacularly wrong, with convicts being set alight or needing up to five jolts of electricity before dying. There have been terrible miscarriages of justice, and the death penalty has not been applied even-handedly. Historically, African Americans, the mentally challenged, and poor defendants have been likely to get the chair, an anomaly which led the Supreme Court to briefly suspend the death penalty. Since the resumption of capital punishment in 1976, Texas alone has executed more than five hundred prisoners, and death row is full. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Anthony Galvin

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