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LEARNED HAND

THE MAN AND THE JUDGE

An important work on an important figure, despite its reflection of the built-in prejudice of the biographer, who served as...

An exhaustive and affectionate, albeit admittedly biased, account of the life and legal work of one of the nation's greatest jurists.

As Gunther correctly points out, although biographies of Supreme Court justices abound, very little attention is paid to the judges of the country's lower courts. Only a handful of these men and women become widely known or achieve lasting fame. An exception is Billings Learned Hand (1872-1961), arguably the greatest United States judge never to sit on the highest court. Yet he had, as a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (covering New York), a far greater impact upon the law than many who served on the more august body. Using, for the first time, the voluminous private papers of Hand (at the request of the judge's son-in-law), Gunther, a noted constitutional scholar at Stanford University, delves deeply into the life of this remarkable individual. Born in Albany to a family that could trace its roots to the Mayflower, Hand attended Harvard College, then "drifted'' into Harvard Law School (he originally wanted to be a philosopher). After graduating he practiced law in his home town but eventually gravitated to Wall Street. Appointed to the federal bench in 1909 as a district court judge, Hand would decide one of the most influential free speech cases ever, the Masses Publishing Co. v. Patten decision of 1917, in which he protected dissident speech. He became an appellate judge in 1924 (eventually becoming chief judge) and quickly achieved prominence in American legal thought. He retired in 1951, after fighting against Cold War hysteria and McCarthyism from the bench. Former Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell provides a foreword.

An important work on an important figure, despite its reflection of the built-in prejudice of the biographer, who served as Hand's law clerk.

Pub Date: May 2, 1994

ISBN: 0-394-58807-X

Page Count: 866

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1994

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

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