Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge (Paperback)

by Gerald Gunther (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Stanford Law School professor Gunther, a former clerk to Hand (1872-1961) with exclusive access to his mentor's papers, ably portrays the man, perhaps the most important jurist not to serve on the Supreme Court, and explains his work. Christened Billings Learned Hand (the product of family surnames), the teenaged Learned studied philosophy at Harvard, and came by his long-held belief in judicial restraint as a Harvard Law student. Becoming a federal district judge in 1909, Hand in 1917 wrote an unpopular but ultimately influential opinion supporting free speech in a case involving the Masses , a revolutionary organ. Rising to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1924, Hand helped improve judicial procedures, wrote numerous worthy opinions, gained respect as a skeptical liberal and helped found the prestigious American Law Institute, an organization aimed at improving the law. Besides describing Hand's cases, Gunther tells of the judge's personal life, his political dabblings and his popularity. The book's only drawback is its length; an abridged version could still assay Hand and reach many more readers. Photos not seen by PW. History Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Gunther, professor of law at Stanford University Law School and a former law clerk to Judge Learned Hand and Chief Justice Earl Warren, has given us something long overdue-a treasure trove of information and insight into arguably the greatest jurist never to be named to the U.S. Supreme Court. Based in large measure on his access to Hand's private papers, this work provides a critical analysis and evaluation of this "skeptical liberal" who helped shape U.S. law and society for a good portion of this century. Gunther proves convincingly that the demise of first-rate, brilliant judicial biography is exaggerated: in his hands, Judge Hand vividly comes to life not only as an American jurist but as an American philosopher probing the human condition. Critical, comprehensive, and objective, this is scholarship at its finest; it belongs in every scholar's library. Highly recommended.
Stephen Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Coll., Nampa, Id.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (July 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674518802
• ISBN-13: 978-0674518803
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #678,154 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best judicial biography written, February 11, 2006

By	Joel Jacobsen (New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge (Hardcover)

Learned Hand was in many ways a great man. A dedicated judge, the gently forgiving husband of a straying wife, a kind and thoughtful person, brilliantly intelligent and clear-thinking - and yet, in the end, almost unknowable. Gunther's biography shines a light on every aspect of the judge's work and personality, including the mystery at his inner core. Hand really wasn't like other people, and Gunther, who knew him personally, captures that.

Gunther's prose is remarkably clear and direct. Another reviewer's remarks about his political bias are just mystifying to me. I don't think Hand's jurisprudence can be classified as either liberal or conservative, and I didn't come away with any sense of Gunther's politics. Frankfurter, the New Dealer, is not depicted as a villain, but rather as one of Hand's closest friends, and an extremely interesting person in his own right.

Judicial biographies are inherently difficult to write, because the subjects' lives tend to be externally uneventful. (Hand virtually never left his native New York state.) Also, old cases are dull unless you really get into them, but to do so requires long digressions from the biographical narrative. This is the only judicial biography I've read that overcomes both problems. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A window on history and on one man's view of events, January 26, 2008

By	From middle America. "Trying to understand." (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge (Hardcover)

This long book, with 680 pp of text, which deterred me at the outset, but then its length became welcome.

I read other Amazon reviewers with interest, and agree with some that(a)this is a valuable book, and with another that(b)the author at times demonstrates a political slant or bias. On the latter issue, however, I am less concerned than the critic. Many of the topics allow no easy answers and probably defie totally impartial reporting. No problem; I am capable of detecting bias, and willing to hear many sides of an issue.

I appreciated the fascinating account of Hand's life (mostly his career, since the family soon disappears from the narrative). I also greatly appreciated looking behind the scences as lawyers, the courts, and Hand and his friends confronted major events in 20th century US history.

This book deepened and refreshed my understandings. Is it the "true" or definitive story of Learned Hand and his times? Perhaps, but that is not my basic concern. Rather, the book helped me test and possibly deepen my own thinking. Ideological slant notwithstanding the author has given me valuable information. Doing my part - as an active, intelligent reader - I was able to exercise my brain: reconsidering past understandings, reassess my own prejudices, etc. In sum, the book is entertaining and a welcome tool that helped me stay mentally alive and, perhaps, even grow a bit wiser.

Finally, though not a lawyer I am interested in the law and its links to economic, social, and political processes. Thus I am perhaps more patient with fine legal distinctions and reasoning than would be the average reader. Some folks will not want to work their way through this book.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A biographical sketch worthy of its complex subject, June 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge (Hardcover)

An absorbing biography. This portrait of Learned Hand is as rich in detail and as dynamic in thought and scope as was the Judge himself. This book is written in style which is evocative and accessible. Gunther's review of the various legal doctrines is understandable without pandering. Woven throughout the book is a look at a very exposed human being. Here is a man with all the phobias and moroses of all men, yet a mind second to none. Tired of flat, one dimensional looks at individuals you wouldn't care about had you met them personally? Read this book. It will challenge and ultimately inspire you that there are books worth reading and people worth emulating.