Great American Trials [Paperback]

Edward W. Knappman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810391341 | ISBN-13: 978-0810391345 | Publication Date: October 1, 1993

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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 Library Journal

Great American Trials summarizes 200 American "trials known for their historic or legal significance, political controversy, public attention, legal ingenuity, or literary fame." Spanning 1637 to 1993, the volume includes such famous trials as the Salem Witch trials, John Peter Zenger, the Rosenbergs, the Chicago Seven, John Demjanjuk, the Scottsboro Boys, and Rodney King. Entries, presented in chronological order, run up to 2500 words and include background and significance, facts, key people (defendants, lawyers, judges), trial and judgment, and subsequent action. A good index and three tables (chronological, alphabetical, and categorical) provide easy access. While books on trials are numerous, no other recent nonscholarly title covers a large number of trials throughout American history. The forthcoming second edition of American Political Trials , edited by Michal Belknap (Greenwood, March 1994), provides lengthy essays on a limited number of "political" trials. This informative book is highly recommended for public, high school, and academic libraries.
- Mary Jane Brustman, SUNY at Albany Libs.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 928 pages
• Publisher: Visible Ink Press (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810391341
• ISBN-13: 978-0810391345
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Trial Practice

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling & Enjoyable but Dated & Imperfect, February 21, 2002

By 

A. E Rothert (Edwardsville) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great American Trials (Paperback)

I read this book straight through-- more as a history of the legal system in the colonies and the United States than as a reference book. I was engrossed by the stories behind many of the cases. Some of the cases I recognized from law school. It would have been much more interesting to know the "story" behind the cases when studying them in school, although I am certain my law professors would discourage the notion of letting "unnecessary facts" get in the way of legal analysis. (Hey, that is the kind of things lawyers like to say... :o)...)

This book provides a resource like none I have been able to find previously. When read chronologically, the cases give one another a sense of historical context often absent from the study of the law. And the law-- as a reflection of society-- makes an interesting way to study history. Although I knew it cerebrally, it was amazing to read of women being arrested for voting, courts deciding whether persons from Africa were human, mentally ill women being routinely steralized, and convicted killers hanged by their necks within days of their convictions. And this is within the last 125 years! That we have come so far, so quickly gives hope for our future.

So... Why only four stars? Two reasons, as the title demonstrates: This book is desparately in need of an update and an edit by an attorney. As for the datedness, this book stops in 1994. While it includes the trial of the officers who battered Rodney King and the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, it was published prior to some cases that have transformed the ever-changing legal landscape over the past ten years. The criminal and civil trial of O.J. Simpson, the mutilation trial of Loreana Bobbitt and her sucessful insanity defense, and the Louis Woodward/"Nanny Murder" trial with its questions of overcharging and judicial review of jury verdicts belong in this volume. I felt as if I had watched a movie, wanted a sequel, but there was none coming.

Technically, the use of legal terminology was not always correct. For example, post-trial motions are referred to as appeals, and vice-versa. These are small details that irked me a tad as an attorney, though I doubt they would distract anyone who didn't attach specific meaning to these "terms of art."

This is a excellent, enjoyable, almost-addictive read. And it has accomplished more than any of the "true crime" books to which it could be compared but which it greatly overshadows: It has made me want to learn more about several of the cases in the book and several other cases I remember from law school. A book that can entertain, educate, and stimulate is a wonderful thing.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful way to teach history and law in the classroom., October 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Great American Trials (Hardcover)

I have used this book in a high school law class for the past three years. Although I use other materials, the structure of the book is a wonderful way to teach history, while learning basic law concepts. For example, the facts of the Sickles trial always "hooks" the students, yet it serves as a wonderful way to teach mens rea and actus reus. My students after studying Dr. Mudd's trial learn more about the Civil War than in a standard history class.

4.0 out of 5 stars Booksellers through Amazon's network, October 15, 2011

By 

bpj - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great American Trials (Paperback)

Book came from out-of-state dealer on time and exactly as described. It was not obtainable at any local stoes and Amazon came through again. I will contiinue to order anytime through Amazon's network of booksellers.