The field of Human Resource Development has developed largely through academics, scholars and reflective practitioners from across the world coming together. Many people link memorable keynote speeches to changes in their research, practice, career path or even life view. Good keynote speeches are a forthright statement of the expert's view and thus are often not published. Now that HRD is maturing there is a need to recapture some of those earlier moments -- both as a form of archive, and also to shed light on the path that has been followed. Twenty-one speeches seminal to the field of HRD are included in this volume, and each of the authors has done more than just replicate the speech. Insofar as these speeches are milestones along the path of the development of the field, the authors have commented on where their speech was positioned at the time it was given, and how the field has developed since. In this way the book is a resource, not only for those who wish to relive their pivotal moments, but also for anyone interested in the development of HRD as a discipline.