Book 4 (of four) deals with the principles of style. After justifying —contrary to the Greek writers— using his own examples, the author plunges into his discussion of the three types of style: Middle, Simple, and Grand. In this book we find a complete catalogue not only of all the figures of diction (from Epanaphora to metonymy, hyperbole, synecdoche, catachresis, metaphor, and to allegory)—but also of all the figures of thought (Understatement, Vivid description, Refining, Comparison, etc.). Contrary to the myth that the Ad Herennium is just a book on rhetoric and language, it is a book on the art of public speaking. It is —really— a practical manual for administrators, managers, executives, paralegals, teachers, professors, judges, attorneys in general, litigators in particular—anyone who wishes to write or give a speech. Though humble in approach, the book delivers greatness.
