Vital Speeches of the Day

"Vital Speeches of the Day" (ISSN 0042-742X) is a monthly journal that presents speeches and addresses in full. It was established in New York in 1934 by Thomas Daly — whose grandson Thomas Daly III moved publication to South Carolina in 1986 — Bruce Smith. "In world of flux, magazine unswayed: publication ignores sound-bite trend," "The State" (Columbia, SC), October 28, 1995, page B8.] and is published by McMurry, Inc. The magazine came to newsstands as of the February, 1935, issue, which included speeches by then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, David Lawrence, legal expert Ferdinand Pecora, and economist and eugenicist Irving Fisher."In Current Magazines" (column), "The Dallas Morning News", February 10, 1935, page 8.] As of 1995 the magazine had published speeches by every president since Roosevelt, although the publication avoided campaign speeches; assistant publisher Thomas Daly IV said of such speeches, "A lot of that is hot air."

According to their policy statement::The publisher of "Vital Speeches" believes that the important addresses of the recognized leaders of public opinion constitute the best expression of contemporary thought in America, and that it is extremely important for the welfare of the nation that these speeches be permanently recorded and disseminated. The publisher has no axe to grind. "Vital Speeches" will be found authentic and constructive. [cite journal | year = 2006 | month = May | title = Policy of Vital Speeches | journal = Vital Speeches of the Day | volume = LXXII | issue = 14-15 | pages = 418 | id = ISSN 0042-742X]

The periodical is included in various guides to reference works. These guides typically describe "Vital Speeches" in politically neutral terms, as when "Guide to Reference Materials" offered this summary: "Each semimonthly issue contains the full text of some 12 to 15 addresses on public issues delivered by important figures. The editors attempt to select speeches pertaining to all sides of controversial issues.""1069. Vital Speeches of the Day," "Guide to Reference Materials".] However, descriptions of specialty collections of speeches often compare the collection favorably to the content of "Vital Speeches". A review of Jamye Coleman Williams and McDonald Williams' 1970 work "The Negro Speaks: The Rhetoric of Contemporary Black Leaders" observed, "Of the thousands of speeches published in "Vital Speeches of the Day" published before 1970, less than one-tenth of 1 percent were by African Americans."Philip Sheldon Foner and Robert J. Branham. "Lift Every Voice: African American Oratory, 1787-1900: Studies in Rhetoric and Communication", Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press.] Similarly, a 1994 review of the 3000 speeches included in Beverly Manning's "Index to American Women Speakers, 1828-1978" noted, "Virtually none of these were listed either in "Speech Index" or "Vital Speeches" which, as indexing tools, have not been prone to include women's contributions."Ron Blazek and Anna Perrault. "United States History: A Selective Guide to Information Sources", Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1994.]

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External links

* [http://www.mcmurry.com/newsletters/VITAL Official site]