Books : Honorable Justice: The Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes
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by: Sheldon M. Novick
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 347.732634
EAN: 9780316613255
ISBN: 0316613258
Label: Little Brown & Co (T)
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 512
Publication Date: 1989-07
Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T)
Sales Rank: 1525683
Studio: Little Brown & Co (T)
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Editorial Review:
Book Description:
Generations of law students have been raised on his inspiring dissents. His book, THE COMMON LAW, still in print after 100 years, dominates the history of legal thought in America. He is still one of the best known justices of the Supreme Court...yet until now there has been no biography of Oliver Wendall Holmes.
Born into mid-19th century Boston society, Holmes grew up knowing everyone. As a young man, he fought in the Civil War and was seriously wounded. He recovered and returned from the war to practice law and teach at Harvard Law School before his appointment to the bench.
Holmes was always contrary. In the hysteria surrounding WW I, he stood firm for free speech. Later, bucking the tide of public opinion, he refused to uphold the voting of Southern blacks.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Less than the sum of its parts
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 ... Read More
Rating:  - Excellent
The book was in perfect shape except for some marks to bring certain paragraphs to the reader's attention. However, there were not too many.
Rating: - Outstanding
This is an excellent book for any pre-law student who is interested in learning more about Justice Holmes. I read the first review that was written by another reader, and was shocked. Sheldon M. Novick did an excellent job researching the material and writing it in such a manner that any reader can understand. Before reading this book, I did not know anything about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. However, sense completing it, I feel that I know every aspect of his life. The book begins with his childhood ... Read More
Rating:  - Disappointing
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 ... Read More
Rating:  - A must read for those interested in justice and history.
I read it as a books-on-tape title. I enjoyed listening to it, it was quite fascinating learning about the life of a man who fought in the Civil War and went on to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA; his significant influence into our country's judicial thinking has been a source of inspiration for me to further understand it and its origins
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