Customer Reviews

Lawyering for the Railroad: Business, Law, and Power in the New South

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This book gives a close look behind the scenes of the railroads and their lawyers in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The analysis is refreshingly balanced -- cogent, careful, thoughtful. It will cause anyone interested in the New South, railroads, or the history of American law to rethink the extent of railroad power and the role the law played in the development of American capitalism. At once a business, social, and legal history, it is mainly about the political economy of the South in a period of tense conflict and protest. Thomas tells us about lawyers who pushed the limits of the law and legal process to aid their powerful clients. He also tells us how divided the bar was about these tactics. Even more compelling, he shows why those who lined up against the railroads around the turn of the century were so energized. The book, which is both well-written and engaging, is built largely on original railroad company records. Legal historians and railroad historians in particular will find it provocative, challenging, informative and rewarding.

Thomas writes with clarity and precision about a topic not easily cast in terms of easy generalities. His use of primary resources is impressive and compelling. In all, a well-balanced overview of a complex subject, suitable for the non-specialist reader. Four stars!