Honorable Justice: The Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes [Hardcover]

Sheldon M. Novick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1989

The first biography of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, the best known figure in the history of American law. His book "The Common Law" is still in print after 100 years, and is considered to be one of the great works of American legal history. Holmes was a complex figure, considerably different from the grandfatherly figure of popular legend. Although he was seen as a role model by three generations of liberal reformers, he at one time adhered to a primitive type of fascism. This account of his life and work spans the years from the Civil War battlefields of his youth, to the impassioned constitutional battles of his old age.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The importance of family and friends to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. is apparent in this very readable biography of his life in and out of the courtroom. The first general biography on Holmes since Silas Bent's Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Biography (Vanguard, 1932; AMS Pr., 1969. repr.) and Catherine Drinker Bowen's Yankee From Olympus (o.p.), this covers his early life, his action in the Civil War, law school and his early career, nearly 20 years as justice and then chief justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, and, finally, 30 years as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Excerpts from his letters, poetry, writings, and court opinions demonstrate his personal feelings as well as his direct and innovative political opinions. David Burton's Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (Krieger, 1979) and Felix Frankfurter's Mr. Justice Holmes and the Supreme Court (o.p.) and Mark Howe's uncompleted multivolume Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (o.p.) focused mainly on analysis of his writings and court opinions. This new work will appeal to the general reader as well as the scholar. For academic and public libraries.
- Louise Stwalley, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

11 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (July 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316613258
• ISBN-13: 978-0316613255
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,348,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Holmes, Oliver Wendell

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Less than the sum of its parts, February 22, 2007

By 

Vrai - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honorable Justice (Paperback)

Novick writes well and has done painstaking research into the life of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Unfortunately, the result is not a great biography. While I came away from this book knowing a lot more about the details of Holmes's life, I didn't come away from it with a very satisfactory understanding of what made him tick. In particular, I found the description of his Civil War service far too long and was disappointed that he omitted or gave short shrift to many key Supreme Court decisions. I also came away from it with the sense, perhaps unjustified, that Novick had shied away from exploring some aspects of Holmes's personality.

3.0 out of 5 stars Honorable Effort, February 23, 2010

By 

Marc Korman (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Honorable Justice (Paperback)

I enjoyed Honorable Justice because it was a quick read that took me on a tour of Holmes' life, accomplishments, and circle of friends. The book is a straightforward chronological telling of Holmes' progression from son of a prominent New England family (his father was a co-founder of the Atlantic magazine), to Civil War battlefields (where he was shot multiple times), to law practice and writing, to the top Massachusetts court, to about twenty years on the Supreme Court. Holmes was somewhat contradictory, often surrounded by liberals and championed by them, but sometimes disappointing in his personal views. His personal life is also left a bit mysterious here, as it is hinted that Holmes had many affairs on his regular trips to England and his relationship with his wife was not very strong. The book relies quite a bit on Holmes' own writing to capture his mood regarding something personal or his view on something legal. Holmes has had a long lasting influence on the law. But the book is much more concerned about the temporal confines of Holmes' life and does not discuss his impact due to his writings and Supreme Court opinions.

The book will give you a quick overview of Holmes and a firm appreciation of his work habit and ethic.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Honorable Justice (Paperback)

I can understand why this book is out of print. Novick could not decide whether he was writing for the mass market or other law professionals. He evidently gathered abundant research materials, arranged them chronologically, and tried to organize them into coherent chapters. Novick's discomfort in dealing with Holmes' private life results in a rather stilted account of the pivotal events in his life. Novick did not even attempt to connect these events to his works before and after he sat on the Massachusetts bench. Furthermore, no insight whatsoever enlightens our understanding of Holmes' thoughts at the time he rendered his most important judicial decisions. Don't bother trying to find this book now that it has been buried.