Famous trials - Hardcover

Take a front row seat at the most exciting and influential trials the world has ever seen. Spanning 2,000 years, this volume is an extraordinary survey of historic courtroom confrontations, a compelling look at how humankind has coped with and attempted to define the concept and practice of justice. It brings to life eloquent defenses, powerful prosecutions, and controversial verdicts and delves into the social, moral, and legal issues surrounding each case.

Some of the many cases examined are
-- The Trial of Jesus
-- Joan of Arc before the Inquisition
-- The Salem Witch Trials
-- Alred Dreyfus versus the French Goverment.
-- The Scope's Monkey Trial

The vivid re-creations of the trials are supplemented by biographies of the participants, summaries of the specific legal issues, historical photographs and illustrations, and editorial commentary. This book not only opens a window onto the past but impels us to take a new look at the narure and effects of our system of justice today.

YA?A readable text succinctly but thoroughly provides the background and discusses the people involved and the arguments given in memorable trials throughout history. Postscripts present the ramifications of the case in the years since it occurred. Adjacent boxed inserts make it easy to spot related information. Readers will be drawn to the eye-catching illustrations, photographs, editorial cartoons, and quotations that appear in the margins. No specific criteria is given for how or why cases were selected, but they have all had global significance. The trials of Socrates, Jesus, Thomas More, Danton (French Revolution), Dreyfus, Chinese Gang of Four, Galileo, John Brown, Tojo, Scopes, and Nelson Mandela are among the cases included. Each trial is covered in either four or six pages, nearly half of which is illustration or white space. The detailed index will assist researchers as the text arrangement is more appropriate for browsers. Cases are arranged by the type of court in which they were heard (special, church, military, or jury trial). A valuable resource.?Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.