Great American Trials

If you're fascinated by crime, interested in American history or politics, trying to be an informed citizen, or simply in need of a fun reference for casual browsing and settling arguments, you shouldn't pass up this bargain of a book. A sturdy, large-format paperback nearly 900 pages long, Great American Trials covers 200 trials from 1637 to 1993 that encompass every facet of American life that has come under scrutiny in courtrooms: civil rights, freedom of speech and religion, child and family issues, business, medicine, labor, organized crime, murder, kidnapping, politics, privacy, and taxes. The design is clear and elegant: for each trial there's a box summarizing the dramatis personae, location, date(s), verdict(s), sentences(s), and historical and legal significance, followed by an engaging narrative with quotations from transcripts, photos, and suggestions for further reading. Also included are three tables of contents (chronological, alphabetical, by subject), a legal glossary, and an extensive index. The next time you forget what happened with Alger Hiss or Patty Hearst or Claus von Bülow, this is the book to reach for.