Synopses & Reviews
- Which was the last country to abolish slavery?
- Which is the only amendment to the U.S. Constitution ever to be repealed?
- How did King Henry II of England provide a procedural blueprint for criminal law?
and#160;
These are just a few of the thought-provoking questions addressed in this beautifully illustrated book. Join author Michael H. Roffer as he explores 250 of the most fundamental, far-reaching, and often-controversial cases, laws, and trials that have profoundly changed our worldandmdash;for good or bad. Offering authoritative context to ancient documents as well as todayandrsquo;s hot-button issues, The Law Book presents a comprehensive look at the rules by which we live our lives. It covers such diverse topics as the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments, the Trial of Socrates, the Bill of Rights, womenandrsquo;s suffrage, the insanity defense, and more. Roffer takes us around the globe to ancient Rome and medieval England before transporting us forward to contemporary accounts that tackle everything from civil rights, surrogacy, and assisted suicide to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Google Books, and the fight for marriage equality.
and#160;
Organized chronologically, the entries each consist of a short essay and a stunning full-color image, while the andldquo;Notes and Further Readingandrdquo; section provides resources for more in-depth study. Justice may be blind, but this collection brings the rich history of the law to light.
Review
"The writing is lively and the topics are variedand#160; . . .and#160; [Pickover]and#160;achieves his goals, and his brevity and breezy style should appeal to readers used to accessing information quickly on the Internet but who are still interested in picking up a book.and#8221; --Library Journal
Synopsis
Following his hugely successful The Math Book and The Physics Book, Clifford Pickover now chronicles the advancement of medicine in 250 entertaining, illustrated landmark events. Touching on such diverse subspecialties as genetics, pharmacology, neurology, sexology, and immunology, Pickover intersperses and#8220;obviousand#8221; historical milestones--the Hippocratic Oath, general anesthesia, the Human Genome Project--with unexpected and intriguing topics like and#8220;truth serum,and#8221; the use of cocaine in eye surgery, and face transplants.
Synopsis
From Clifford Pickover comes an inspirational volume that celebrates the beauty and wisdom of physics. This gorgeous compendium features a physics quotation and stunning art on every page, along with biographical facts and birthdays of notable physicists like Christiaan Huygens, Niels Bohr, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, and Max Planck. Attractive and thought provoking, The Physics Devotional makes a wonderful gift for science and math enthusiasts.and#160;
Synopsis
and#8220;Since 1960 the universe has taken on a wholly new face. It has become more exciting, more mysterious, more violent, and more extreme as our knowledge concerning it has suddenly expanded. And the most exciting, most mysterious, most violent, and most extreme phenomena of all has the simplest, plainest, calmest, and mildest name-nothing more than a black hole.and#8221;
and#8212;Isaac Asimov, The Collapsing Universe, 1977
From Clifford Pickoverand#8212;the ingenious author of the phenomenally successful The Math Book and The Physics Bookand#8212;comes an inspirational volume that celebrates the beauty and wisdom of physics. This gorgeous compendium features a physics quotation and stunning art on every page, along with biographical facts and birthdays of notable physicists like Christiaan Huygens, Niels Bohr, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, and Max Planck. Attractive and thought provoking, The Physics Devotional makes a wonderful gift for science and math enthusiasts.and#160;
Synopsis
Throughout history, the nature and mystery of death has captivated artists, scientists, philosophers, physicians, and theologians. This eerie chronology ventures right to the borderlines of science and sheds light into the darkness. Here, topics as wide ranging as the Maya death gods, golems, and sandeacute;ances sit side by side with entries on zombies and quantum immortality. With the turn of every page, readers will encounter beautiful artwork, along with unexpected insights about death and what may lie beyond.
Synopsis
Justice may be blind, but this comprehensive collection of 250 fundamental and far-reaching cases, statutes, and trials brings the law to light. From the code of Babylonian king Hammurabi to civil rights, censorship, and the fight for marriage equality, The Law Book offers a rich look at the rules by which we live our lives.
Synopsis
From major events in history to todayandrsquo;s hot-button issues,
The Law Book offers a comprehensive look at the rules by which we live our lives. New York Law School professor and librarian Michael Roffer presents 250 of the most fundamental, far-reaching, and often controversial cases, laws, and trials that have changed the worldandmdash;for good or bad.
Beginning with the formal compilation of laws by Babylonian king Hammurabi, circa 1700 BCE, and the Ten Commandments of the Hebrew Bible, the essays cover an incredible breadth and depth of knowledge. The topics range from Dracoandmdash;the first lawgiver of Athens, who prescribed death for even the smallest offenses and gave us the word andldquo;draconianandrdquo;andmdash;and the Corpus Juris Civilis of Emperor Justinian, who assembled and reformed the laws of the Roman Empire, to the Napoleonic Code and Charles Guiteau, the assassin who shot President Garfield in 1881 and whose trial formally introduced the insanity defense to America. Other entries take us around the globe to ancient China and medieval England, while more contemporary accounts tackle everything from civil rights, surrogacy, and assisted suicide to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Google Books, and the fight for marriage equality.
Justice may be blind, but this collection brings the rich history of the law to light.
About the Author
Michael H. Roffer is associate librarian for reader services and professor of legal research at New York Law School. He earned his JD, magna cum laude, from New York Law School and his masterandrsquo;s in library and information science from Rutgers University. A member of the New York Bar since 1984, he served as a law clerk for Senior Judge Roger J. Miner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and practiced law at a major New York City law firm before joining New York Law School in 2003. Rofferandrsquo;s articles on antitrust, criminal procedure, and employment law have appeared in academic and professional law journals, and he has lectured at continuing legal education programs for attorneys and lectures at continuing professional education programs for law librarians. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.