Synopses & Reviews
A powerfully moving account of the life of one of the great judges of the twentieth century, whose work has left a profound mark on our legal, intellectual, and social landscape. The greatest judge never to be appointed to the Supreme Court, he is widely considered to be the peer of Justices Holmes, Brandeis, and Cardozo.
Review
"Gerald Gunther's masterly study Learned Hand gives us the life of the man integrated with the life of the judge. It is the fullest, most sensitive, most penetrating of judicial biographies. I do not know its equal."
--Judge John T. Noonan, Jr., New York Times Book Review"Brilliant biography...not only comprehensive but penetrating and illuminating as well."
--Ronald Dworkin, New York Review of Books"A remarkable book, unlike any biography I know. It is a law professor's lecture expanded to the size of a Victorian life-and-letters...[It is] a vast and passionate work, written by someone uniquely qualified to write it."
--Sheldon Novick, Los Angeles Times Book Review"A great biography...[Gunther's] approach is--as, given the occasion, it should be--balanced, forceful, judicious, and clear."
--New Yorker"A beautifully textured and balanced portrait."
--Jeffrey Rosen, New Republic"Gunther's beautifully written book makes one appreciate Learned Hand theman as well. This is especially the case in Gunther's sensitive treatmentof Hand's marriage to Francis Fincke and his accounts of Hand's otherfriendships..Gunther's narrative about Hand's deeds and writings is notonly great judicial biography, it's a rich contribution totwentieth-century Americana."
--Murray Dry, Review of PoliticsReview
Gerald Gunther's masterly study Learned Hand gives us the life of the man integrated with the life of the judge. It is the fullest, most sensitive, most penetrating of judicial biographies. I do not know its equal. Judge John T. Noonan, Jr.
Review
Brilliant biography...not only comprehensive but penetrating and illuminating as well. New York Times Book Review
Review
A remarkable book, unlike any biography I know. It is a law professor's lecture expanded to the size of a Victorian life-and-letters...[It is] a vast and passionate work, written by someone uniquely qualified to write it. Ronald Dworkin - New York Review of Books
Review
A great biography...[Gunther's] approach is--as, given the occasion, it should be--balanced, forceful, judicious, and clear. Sheldon Novick - Los Angeles Times Book Review
Review
A beautifully textured and balanced portrait. New Yorker
Review
Gunther's beautifully written book makes one appreciate Learned Hand the man as well. This is especially the case in Gunther's sensitive treatment of Hand's marriage to Francis Fincke and his accounts of Hand's other friendships..Gunther's narrative about Hand's deeds and writings is not only great judicial biography, it's a rich contribution to twentieth-century Americana. Jeffrey Rosen - New Republic
About the Author
Gerald Gunther is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Stanford University, and the author of Constitutional Law, 7th-12th editions, and Individual Rights in Constitutional Law, 1st-5th editions.