Great American Trials - Softcover

Knappman, Edward W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0810391341 ISBN 13: 9780810391345

Publisher: Visible Ink Press, 1993

Synopsis

An extraordinary introduction for anyone contemplating a legal career; for the rest of us it is a fine reference and a delight to read. – Chicago Tribune. Two hundred historically significant, legally important, and notorious trials (and the occasional court martial) that have been sources of continuing entertainment, public ritual, and real-life drama are recalled through lively text and captivating photos. Included are brief and accurate summaries of such trials as Dred Scott, Lizzy Borden, Leopold and Loeb, Teapot Dome, Brown v. Board of Education, Mapplethorpe, Charles Manson, Roe v. Wade, Jim Bakker, Mike Tyson, Ted Bundy, William Calley, William Kennedy Smith, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Ernesto Miranda, and Oliver North. Here you'll find the major players, name, place, and date of each trial, crime charged or claim made, and the verdict and sentence followed by a discussion of the significance and impact of the trial (with suggestions for further reading). Of interest to crime and mystery readers, history devotees, teachers, jury members, court followers, students, legal professionals, journalists, and prison inmates, Great American Trials is a masterful collection of great courtroom dramas.

About this title

Review

If you're fascinated by crime, interested in American history or politics, trying to be an informed citizen, or simply in need of a fun reference for casual browsing and settling arguments, you shouldn't pass up this bargain of a book. A sturdy, large-format paperback nearly 900 pages long, Great American Trials covers 200 trials from 1637 to 1993 that encompass every facet of American life that has come under scrutiny in courtrooms: civil rights, freedom of speech and religion, child and family issues, business, medicine, labor, organized crime, murder, kidnapping, politics, privacy, and taxes. The design is clear and elegant: for each trial there's a box summarizing the dramatis personae, location, date(s), verdict(s), sentences(s), and historical and legal significance, followed by an engaging narrative with quotations from transcripts, photos, and suggestions for further reading. Also included are three tables of contents (chronological, alphabetical, by subject), a legal glossary, and an extensive index. The next time you forget what happened with Alger Hiss or Patty Hearst or Claus von Bülow, this is the book to reach for.

From Booklist

"True crime" stories interest many in our society, and this new book will prove popular for reference and for browsing. Beginning with Anne Hutchinson's trials in the 1630s for religious dissent and heresy and ending with the Los Angeles police officers' trials in 1992, the 200 trials represent a variety of issues--rape, civil liberties, corruption, and impeachment, with murder the largest category. Cases were chosen by the editor for their historic significance (Brown v. Board of Education), political controversy (Teapot Dome trials), public attention (Mike Tyson trial), legal ingenuity (Alexander Pantages trial), or literary fame (Scopes "Monkey" trial).

Arranged chronologically, the volume features three tables of contents (chronological, alphabetical, and categorical) that provide easy access. Note that the alphabetical index is by the first word of the name of the trial; the El Sayyid Nosair trial, for example, is found under E. Concluding the book are a detailed index that allows access to key personnel by name and a glossary of basic legal terms.

Each entry begins with a box that presents the facts (personnel, charges, site, and outcome), followed by a narrative account of the crime, pretrial activities, the trial, its aftermath, and its impact on American life. Because the intended audience is general readers, articles are written in plain English; legal terms are avoided where possible, and legal citations are not provided. Suggestions for further popular reading accompany most entries. Many entries include black-and-white illustrations. Although each article is signed, the list of contributors does not provide their credentials.

This is another useful reference tool that will inform and entertain. Only about 30 of the cases are also found in Historic U.S. Court Cases, 1690-1990 [RBB Je 15 92], which provides essays on 170 cases selected because of their importance as legal precedents. Many of the cases in Great American Trials appear to have been chosen because of their notoriety: the Gloria Vanderbilt custody trial, the Pulitzer divorce trial, and trials involving Errol Flynn, Al Capone, Lenny Bruce, Richard Speck, and Charles Manson, for example. Public and academic libraries should consider Historic U.S. Court Cases a first purchase; public libraries may want to add Great American Trials as well.

Edition details

• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0810391341
• ISBN 13: 9780810391345
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 928