Abstract
The book reviews the history of rhetoric from its beginnings in Greek and Roman antiquity through the period of its decline in prestige between the 17th and 19th centuries up to the rebirth of the contribution to thought of this area of study in the second half of the 20th century. Its importance for the production of the educated person and the connection between rhetoric and areas of study interested in language and its use stems from the definition of rhetoric as the art of "speaking well and appropriately" and "speaking persuasively".
As rhetoric is concerned not only with public discourse, but with language in general, written and spoken, knowledge of it helps both in active speaking and in understanding the use of language in society.