Tarlton Law Library
Jamail Center for Legal Research

LEGAL NOVELS:

AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

By
Karen L. Kretschman

Updated by
Karen L. Kretschman
and
Judith Helburn
1979
 
 

TARLTON LAW LIBRARY LEGAL BIBLIOGRAPHY SERIES, 
NO. 13a
 

In the past few years since the original issuance of Legal
Novels, there has been a flurry of new fiction dealing with
the law. When held up against the standards of the 100 best
existing legal novels, few passed our test. This is not to
say that they were bad or indifferent; they just were not
superior, in our judgement.

Note to the Updated Edition . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . i

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 1

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

John Wigmore's List of Legal Novels . . . . . . . . . 6

An Annotated List of One Hundred
 Legal Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Wigmore's Legal Novels Expanded. . . . . . . . . . Appendix

---

INTRODUCTION

     In 1908 John Henry Wigmore, a former dean and
professor at Northwestern, first published his list of
100 legal novels, ¹ In compiling this list, he carefully
considered many authors and titles which were well known
at that time. His methodology consisted of categorizing
each entry in terms of type of novel as follows:

(A) Novels in which some trial
scene is described--perhaps including
a skillful cross-examination;

(B) Novels in which the typical
traits of a lawyer or judge, or the
ways of professional life, are portrayed;

(C) Novels in which the methods
of law in the prosecution and punishment
of crime are delineated; and

(D) Novels in which some point
of law, affecting the rights or the
conduct of the personages., enters into
the plot. ²

     Mr. Wigmore's list included authors and titles
but no annotations; the entries were categorized,
however, by A, B, C or D as described above, to
indicate types of novels to give the reader some clue
to content. His list, of coursel, did not include all

of the legal novels available at the turn of the century.
Rather, it served to direct lawyers and other members
of the legal profession to those titles which were
exemplary legal fiction and which would be meaningful
reading; the list was not intended for laymen but for
lawyers reading about legal careers, great moments of the
legal process, legal history or special problems or
institutions of law. In short, Henry Wigmore strongly
felt that legal novels could provide an avenue by which
to study the "catalogue of life's characters" which any
good lawyer will encounter in his/her legal career and
role as advisor and counselor. ³

     This first list was subsequently updated and
expanded to include a total of 375 titles. ⁴ This
complete bibliography is published herein. Of course,
many titles included in this list remain as classics in
literature today, in addition to being excellent examples
of a legal novel. Since the publication of Wigmore's
lists, however, no attempt has been made to update or
expand the original lists until the present time.
Although there is a wealth of material available which
otherwise deals with the topic of legal fiction in the
form of commentary in law reviews, law journals, book
reviews and other sources, there still exists a need for
a new list. As a result, this new annotated listing of

legal novels has been published, not only to update
Mr. Wigmore's list and carry on his idea, but also to
provide a current list, including annotations, thereby
providing the reader/selector with more information
regarding each novel's contents rather than a simple
delineation by type as used in Wigmore's lists.

     This new annotated listing of 100 legal novels
is a representative example of the legal fiction which has
been written in the past two centuries. It consists
of the better known and regarded examples of legal fiction
in the United States and Europe. No biographies, pure
detective stories or records of actual trials have been
included. The list contains approximately 15 titles
from 1800 to 1940 which were, in large part, selected
from the entries in Mr. Wigmore's list; they are authors
and titles which have steadfastly retained their importance
in literature and law. The focus, however, for the
updated listing is on legal fiction in novel form
published since 1940 up to the present time. All titles
in this list, consistent with the earlier lists, in some
way reflect important aspects of the law, whether it
be trial procedures, typical traits of a lawyer or judge,
aspects of professional life, the detection, pursuit,
prosecution or punishment of a crime or the plot revolving
around a particular point of law which affects the
characters involved. Although book reviews were used for

many of the items included in this current bibliography,
all items included were personally inspected and reviewed
as well. More than 400 items were reviewed in this
process.

     A careful perusal of Mr. Wigmore's early list of
legal novels and the new annotated list of 100 legal
novels contained in this publication will clearly
illustrate how thoroughly the law and the world of
courtrooms, lawyers and judges are reflected in fiction.
The current bibliography is, as was Mr. Wigmore's
publicationt intended to point out book titles which
are of interest to lawyers. However, it will also
serve as a general reading guide for those laymen who
are generally interested in law for casual reading as
well.

NOTES

1. For this list in final form, see Wigmore,
A List of 100 Legal Novels, 17 ILL. L. REV. 26 (1922).
2. Id. at 27.
3. Id. at 31.
4. Wigmore, A List of Legal Novels, 2 ILL. L. REV.
574 (1908).

John H. Wigmore's List of Legal Novels:
[2 ILL. L. REV.574 (1908)]

Ainsworth, Harrison:
     Jack Sheppard. (C)
     Star Chamber. (C,D)

Aldrich, Thomas Bailey:
     Stillwater Tragedy. (C)

Allen, Grant:
     Miss Cayley's Adventures. (A.D)

Anon:
     The Manuscript in the Red Box. (C)

Auerbach, Berthold:
     Landolin. (A.C)

Austin, Jane Goodwin:
     Betty Alden. (A)

de Balzac, Honore':
     Cesar Birotteau. (D)
     Cousin Pons. (BID)
     Pere Goriot. (D)
     Two Brothers. (D)
     Lucian de Rubempre'. (AFC)
     Historical Mystery. (A,C)
     Lesser Bourgeoisie. (B,D)
     Gobseck. (D)
     Colonel Chabert. (B)
     Commission in Lunacy. (A,B)
     Gallery of Antiquities. (B)
     Last Incarnation of Vautrim. (C)
     Pierrette. (D)
     Brotherhood of Consolation. (CD)
     Vicar of Tours. (D)
     Lost Illusions. (B D)
     Village Rector. (C)
     Start in Life. (B)
     Marriage Contract. (D)

Barr, Amelia E.H.:
     Black Shilling. (A)
     Friend Olivia. (A)
     Household of McNeil. (C)

Barr, Robert and Crane, Stephen:
     The O'Ruddy. (C)

Becke, Louis and Jeffrey, Walter:
     First Fleet Family. (C)

Besant, Walter:
     All Sorts and Conditions of Men. (D)
     Dorothy Forster. (A.D)
     Ivory Gate. (BIC)
     St. Katherine's by the Tower. (A.B.C)
     The World Went Very Well Then. (A)
     For Faith and Freedom. (A,B)
     Orange Girl. (A,B,C)
     Lady of Lynn. (BID)
     Holy Rose. (A)
     Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. (D)

Besant, Walter, and Ricef Jas.:
     Chaplain of the Fleet (Priston). (C,D)

Beyle, M. Henri (De Stendhal)
     Chartreuse de Parme. (C)

Black, William:
     Maid of Sker. (B)

Blackmore, R.D.:
     Lorna Doone. (A)
     Cradock Nowell. (B)

Boldrewood., Rolf:
     Robbery Under Arms. (C)

Bulwer-Lytton,, Edward:
     Rienzi. (A)
     Eugene Aram. (A,C)
     Night and Morning. (D)
     Paul Clifford. (A,C)

Bunyan, John:
     Holy War. (A)
     Pilgrim's Progress. (A)

Burnett, Frances Hodgson:
     DeWilloughby Claim. (D)

Bynner, E. Lasseter:
     Begum's Daughter. (A)
     Damen's Ghost. (D)

Cable, George W.:
     Silent South. (C)
     Stories of Louisiana. (AID)

Caine, Hall:
     Deemster. (C,B)
     Manxman. (A,B)
     Shadow of a Crime. (C)
     Son of Hagar. (A)

Cervantes, Michael:
     Don Quixote. (B)

Churchill, Winston:
     Richard Carvel. (D)

Clarkef, Marcus:
     His Natural Life. (C)

Cockton, Henry:
     Valentine Vox the Ventriloquist. (B,D)

Collins, Wilkie:
     Armadale. (BOC)
     Haunted Hotel. (B.C)
     Heart and Science. (B)
     Stolen Letter. (B)
     Evil Genius. (A,B)
     Blind Love. (C)
     Law and the Lady. (A.D)
     Man and Wife. (D)
     Moonstone. (C)
     Woman in White. (D)
     John Jago's Ghost, (C)
     Murderer of the Archbishop of Paris (A,C)
     Jezebel's Daughter. (B)
     No Name. (B,D)
     Plot in Private Life. (A.B.C)
     My Lady's Money. (B.C)
     Poor Miss Finch. (C)

Conrad, Joseph:
     Lord Jim. (A)
     Romance. (A)

Cooper, James Fenimore:
     Bravo. (C)
     Headsman. (A)
     Monikins. (A)
     Spy. (A)
     Ways of the Hour.(A, B, C)
     Homeward Bound. (C)

     Pioneers. (B)
     Redskins. (B.C.D)
     Wing-and-Wing. (A,C)
     Satanstoe. (D)
     Chainbearer. (D)

Corelli, Marie:
     Barabbas. (A,C)

Craddock, Chas. Egbert (Mary Murfree):
     In the Stranger People's Country. (C)
     In the Clouds. (A)
     Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountain. (C)

Crockett, Samuel R.:
     Cinderella. (A)
     The Gray Mare. (AVC)
     The Isle of Winds. (C)
     The Red Axe. (A)
     Strong Mac. (A,C)
     Fishers of Men. (A1,C)

Crawford, Francis Marion:
     Pietro Ghisleri. (C)
     Sant'Ilario. (C,D)
     Dr. Cladius. (B)
     A Maid of Venice. (A)
     Marion Darche. (B.C)
     Don Orsino. (C)

Daudet, Alphonse:
     Artists' Wives. (C)
     Immortal. (A)
     Port Tarascon. (A,C)

Dickens, Charles:
     Barnaby Rudge. (C)
     Bleak House. (A,B)
     Christmas Stories. (A B)
     Old Curiosity Shop. (A.B)
     Hard Times. (C)
     Great Expectations. (B)
     Little Dorrit. (C)
     Nicholas Nickleby. (D)
     Oliver Twist. (A,C)
     Our Mutual Friend. (B)
     Pickwick Papers. (A.B)
     Tale of Two Cities. (A.B)

Dougall, Lily:
     Beggars All. (C)

Doyle, Arthur Conan:
     Firm of Girdlestone. (C)
     Sherlock Holmest Memoirs and Adventures. (C)
     Micah Clarke. (A)

Dumas, Alexandre:
     Black Tulip. (C)
     Count of Monte Cristo. (A,C,D)
     The Forty-Five Guardsmen, Part I. (A,C)
     Marguerite de Valois. (A,C)
     Twenty Years After, Part II. (A)
     Vicomte de Bragelonnel Part VI. (C)
     Chevalier de Maison-Rougee (A,C)
     Remarkable Crimes. (A,B,C)
     Companions of Jehu. (A)
     Whites and Blues. (C)

Edwardes, Annie:
     Archie Lovell. (A.D)

Eggleston, Edward:
     Mystery of Metropolisville. (A,B,C)
     Circuit Rider. (C)
     Roxy. (B)
     Graysons. (A)
     Hoosier Schoolmaster. (A)

Eliot, George:
     Adam Bede. (A)
     Felix Holt. (A,B,D)
     Romola. (C)
     Mill on the Floss.(B)
     Janet's Repentance. (B)

Erckman, E.O and Chatrian, A.:
     Polish Jew. (A)

Franzos, Karl Emil:
     For the Right. (C,D)
     The Chief Justice. (A.B)

Fargus, John Frederick (Hugh Conway):
     Called Back. (C)
     Cardinal Sin. (C,D)
     Family Affair. (C)

Fawcett, Edgar:
     New York Family. (B,C)

Ferrier, Susan E.
     Inheritance. (D)

Fielding, Henry:
     Jonathan Wild. (C)
     Joseph Andrews. (C)
     Amelia. (C)
     Tom Jones. (C)

Foote, Mary Hallock:
     John Bodewin's Testimony. (A)
     Coeur d'Alene. (C)
     Led-Horse Claim. (D)

Ford, Paul Leicester:
     Janice Meredith. (D)
     Honorable Peter Stirling. (B)

Frederict Harold:
     Seth's Brother's Wife. (C)
     Lawton Girl. (B.C)
     Damnation of Theron Ware. (B)
     In the Market Place. (D)
     Return of the O'Mahony. (D)

French, Alice (Octave Thanet):
     Missionary Sheriff. (C,D)
     Rolf and the Viking's Bow. (A,C,D)
     We All. (B,C,D)
     Knitters in the Sun. (D)
     His Duty. (C)

Freytog, Gustav:
     Debit and Credit. (D)

Gaboriau, Emile:
     File No. 113 (C)
     Widow Lerogue. (C)
Monsieur Lecocq. (C)

Galt, John:
     Ayrshire Legatees. (D)

Garland, Hamlin:
     Hesper. (CID)
     Member of the Third House. (D)

Gaskell, Elizabeth C.S.:
     Mary Barton. (A)

Glasgow, Ellen:
     The Ancient Law. (C)

Goldsmith, Oliver:
     Vicar of Wakefield. (C)

Gould, S. Baring:
     Court Royal. (B)
     Eve. (C)
     Pablo the Priest. (D)
     Bladys Stewpenny. (C,D)
     Broom Squire. (A.B,D)
     Cheap Jack Zita. (A)
     Domitia. (D)
     Noemi. (D)
     Perpetua. (A,C,D)
     Guaros. (A,C,D)

Grant, Charles:
     Stories of Naples and the Camorra. (C)

Grant, Robert:
     Law Breakers. (D)
     Under Current. (B)
     Unleavened Bread. (B)
     Eye for an Eye. (A,B,D)

Grey (or Gray), Maxwell:
     Last Sentence. (A)
     Silence of Dean Maitland. (A,D)

Haggard, H. Rider:
     Mr. Meeson's Will. (A,B,D)
     She. (A)
     Dawn. (A)
     Lysbeth. (D)
     Jess. (A,D)
     Eric Brighteyes. (D)
     Col. Quaritch. (B)

Hale, Edward Everett:
     Philip Nolan's Friends. (A)

Hardy, Thomas:
     Tess of the D'Urbervilles (D)
     Desperate Remedies. (C,D)

Harris, Richard:
     Mr. Bumpkin's Lawsuit. (B)

Harte, Francis Bret:
     Gabriel Conroy. (A)
     Cressy. (D)
     In the Carquinez Woods. (C)

     Argonauts of North Liberty. (C)
     Bell-Ringer of Angels. (C)
     Story of a Mine. (D)
     Snow-Bound at Eagle's. (C)
     Openings in the Trail. (B)
     Twins of Table Mountain. (D)
     Heiress of Red Dog. (A,B,,D)
     Great Deadwood Mystery. (D)

Hawthorne, Nathaniel:
     Scarlett Letter. (C)
     House of the Seven Gables. (C,D)

Henty, G.A.:
     Through the Fray. (A,C)

Herrick, Robert:
     The Common Lot. (A)

Hewlett, Maurice:
     The Queen's Quhair. (A)

Holland, Josiah Gilbert:
     Bay Path. (A)
     Sevenoaks. (A,D)

Holmes, Oliver Wendell:
     Guardian Angel. (B,D)

Howells, William Dean:
     Modern Instance. (A,D)

Hugo, Victor:
     Les Miserables. (A,C,D)
     Notre Dame. (A)
     Ninety-three. (C)

James, George P.R.:
     Convict. (C)
     Morley Ernstein. (B.C)

Jokai, Maurice:
     Pretty Michal. (C)

Kingsley, Henry:
     Austin Elliot. (A.D)

Kirkman, Marshall M.
     The Romance of Gilbert Holmes. (A)

La Rame', Louise de (Ouida):
     Under Two Flags. (A)

LeSage, Alain R.:
     Gil Blas. (C)

Lever, Charles:
     Martins o' Cromartin. (B)

Macdonald, George:
     Wilfred Cumbermede. (D)

Maitland, Edward:
     The Lawyer's Story (or, The Orphan's
          Wrongs). (B,D)

Manzoni, Alessandro:
     Bethothed. (C)

Marryat, Frederick:
    Poachers. (A)
     Jacob Faithful. (D)
     Phantom Ship. (C)
     Snarleyow. (C.D)

Meredith, George:
     Ordeal of Richard Feverel. (B)

Mitchell, S. Weir:
      Constance Trescott. (A,,B,C)

Morrison, Arthur:
      Chronicles of Martin Hewitt. (C)
      Martin Hewitt, Investigator. (C)

Mulock, Dinah Maria:
     Hannah. (D)

Norris, W. E.:
     Misadventure. (A)

Oliphant, Margaret W.:
     Fugitives. (D)
     May. (D)
     Marriage of Elinor. (B)
     Harry Joscelyn. (D)
     Heir Presumptive. (D)
     In Trust. (D)
     Madam. (D)
     Sir Robert's Fortune. (D)
     Unjust Steward. (D)

O'Reilly, John Boyle:
    Moondyne. (C)

Page, Thomas Nelson:
    Red Rock. (D)

Parker, Gilbert:
    Right of Way. (A)

Read, Opie:
     Len Gansett. (C)
     Emmett Bonlore. (A,B)
     Colossus. (A)
     His Friend Flanders. (A)
     Wives of the Prophet. (B)
     Tennessee Judge. (B)
     Old Ebenezer. (B)
     Judge Elbridge. (B)
     Jucklins. (A,B)
     Old Sim Jucklins. (B)
     Starbucks. (A)

Reade, Charles:
     Foul Play. (D)
     Griffith Gaunt. (A)
     Never Too Late to Mend. (B.C)
     Terrible Temptation. (A)
     The Evil Genius. (A.D)
     Hard Cash. (A,B,C)

Russell, Clark:
     A Sea Queen. (D)
     Romance of a Transport. (A)
     The Two Captains. (C)

Scott, Michael:
     Tom Cringle's Log. (A)

Scott, Walter:
     Anne of Geierstein. (A,C)
     Fortunes of Nigel. (C,D)
     Guy Mannering. (A,B,C,D)
     Heart of Midlothian. (A,B,D)
     Two Drovers. (A)
     Talisman. (A)
     Surgeon's Daughter. (D)
     Fair Maid of Perth. (A)
     Waverley. (D)
     Antiquary. (B,D)
     Bride of Lammermoor. (D)
     Monastery. (D)
     Pirate. (D)
     Ivanhoe. (A)
     Old Mortality. (CID)
     Peveril of the Peak. (A)
     Quentin Durward. (C,D)
     Redgauntlet. (BOD)
     Rob Roy. (BD)
     St. Ronan's Well. (B,D)

Senkiewicz, Henryk:
     Comedy of Errors. (A)
     Bartek the Victor. (A)
     Without Dogma. (D)
     Children of the Soil. (D)

Smollett, Tobias G.:
     Roderick Random. (A)
     Ferdinand, Count Fathom. (C,D)
     Sir Lancelot Greeves. (A,C,D)
     Humphrey Clinker. (A,C,D)

Stevenson, Robert Louis:
    Kidnapped; with its sequel,
    David Balfour (or Catriona). (B,D)
    Weir of Hermiston. (B)

Stimson, Frederick J.:
     Residuary Legatee. (D)
     King Noanett. (D)

Stockton, Frank R.:
     Three Burglars. (C)
     Late Mrs. Null. (D)
     Mrs. Cliff's Yacht. (D)
     Captain Horn. (D)

Sue, Eugene:
     Wandering Jew. (C,D)

Thackeray, William Makepeace:
     Adventures of Philip. (B,C)
     Pendennis. (B)

Tolstoi, Leo N.:
     Resurrection. (A,B,C,D)
     The Long Exile. (A)
     In Pursuit of Happiness. (A.D)
     Ivan Ilyitch. (A,B)

Tourgee, Albion W.:
     Figs and Thistles. (B)
     Black Ice. (B)
     Button's Inn. (D)
     With Gauge and Swallow. (B)

Train, Arthur:
     McAllister and his Double. (C)

Trollope, Anthony:
     Orley Farm. (A,B,D)

     Duke's Children. (D)
     Eye for an Eye. (D)
     Cousin Henry. (B,D)
     Barchester Towers. (B,D)
     American Senator, (D)
     Miss Mackenzie. (B.D)
     Mr. Maule's Attempt. (A,B,C,D)
     Last Chronicle of Barset. (B,D)
     Dr. Thorne. (D)
     Lady Anna. (A,B,D)
     Can You Forgive Her. (B)
     Kept in the Dark. (D)
     John Caldigate. (A,B,D)
     Land Leaguers. (A,D)
     Small House at Allington. (C)
     Vicar of Bullhampton. (A,C,D)

Turgenif, Ivan S.:
     Lear of the Steppes. (A)
     On the Eve. (B)

Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens):
     Pudd'nhead Wilson. (A)
     Tom Sawyer. (A)
     Joan of Arc. (A)

Warren, Samuel:
     Adventures of an Attorney in Search
          of Practice. (B)
     Ten Thousand a Year. (B)

Weyman, Stanley:
     Starvecrow Farm. (A)
     Francis Cludde. (A)
     Little Wizard. (A)
     My Lady Rotha. (A)
     Shrewsbury. (A)
     New Rector. (B)
     Chippinge Borough. (B)
     Drift of Fate. (D)
     Body-Birds of Court. (D)
     Castle Inn. (D)
     Man in Black. (A)

Woolson, Constance Fenimore:
     Anne. (A)

Yonge, Charlotte M.:
     Reputed Changeling. (A)
     Trial. (A.C)

     Unknown to History. (A,C)
     Two Sides of a Shield. (A)

Zangwill, Isaac:
     The Big Bow Mystery. (A.C)

An Annotated List of One Hundred Legal Novels:

Auchincloss, Louis. The Great World and Timothy Colt. Houghton. 1956.
          Story of a young New York lawyer who begins his career
     with high ideals but becomes disillusioned; he wrecks both his
     career and marriage when he consents to malpractice by making
     an unequal distribution of trust assets.

---I Come As A Thief. Weedenfeld and Nicolson. 1972.
          Lawyer who is a candidate for public office takes a bribe
     from Mafia figures and relinquishes a promising career; cor-
     ruption and expiation of a crime are explored in this legal
     novel.

---The Partners. Warner. 1974.
          Old values vs. new clash in the group portrait of the
     members of a law firm; social change brings struggles with the
     pressures of merging the original law firm with a larger one.

     Other legal novels by Louis Auchincloss are:

     A Law for the Lion. 1953.
     Powers of Attorney. 1963.
     The Country Cousin. 1978.
     The Dark Lady. 1978.

Ashford, Jeffrey. Burden of Proof. Harper. 1963.
          English novel about a man unjustly accused of murder who
     is vindicated by acquittal; this novel is also a portrayal of
     the land poor gentry in England.

Balzac, Honore. The Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau. Juniper Press.
1837.
          The misery, chicanery and confusion of bankruptcy pro-
     ceedings are explored in this French novel involving the
     downfall of a Parisian perfumer who was also the deputy mayor
     of the city.

Basso, Hamilton. View from Pompey's Head. Doubleday. 1954.
          New York lawyer returns to the small Southern city of his
     birth to investigate a literary claim and disappearing funds;
     this is an example of a lawyer also doing detective work.

Becker, Stephen. A Covenant With Death. Atheneum. 1964.
          Elderly judge's memory of a murder case which he heard as
     a young judge at age 29; involves a 1923 Louisiana murder
     wherein a man is tried and convicted for murdering his wife.
     At his execution he kills the hangman and someone else con-
     fesses to his wife's murder.

Bok, Curtis. I, Too, Nicodemus. Knopf. 1946.
          Biographical fiction about a very human judge (Judge
     Ulen) who believed in using as little law as possible; this
     novel illustrates the life of a trial judge in his home and on
     the bench.

Bok, Curtis. Backbone of the Herring. Knopf. 1941.
          Fictionalized account of a trial judge's attempts to do
     justice by searching out the character of the litigants in a
     number of different cases.

---Star Wormwood. Knopf. 1959.
          A tale of crime, trial and execution of an adolescent boy
     charged with the rape-murder of a 13-year-old girl, which con-
     tains the author's protest against the use of vengeance as a
     purpose of criminal law. The errors and failures in the
     administration of criminal law and the questions of punitive
     penology and capital punishment are at the core of this novel.

Boll, Heinrich. End of a Mission. McGraw. 1968.
          A one-day trial in Germany follows an incident wherein a
     German soldier and his carpenter father set fire to an Army
     jeep; the question arises as to whether this was a criminal
     act or a "happening" not subject to conventional law; written
     by one of Germany's premier novelists.

Borden, Mary. You, the Jury. Longmans, Green. 1952.
          This novel incorporates English trial procedure into the
     story. the plot involves the crime and law relating to high
     treason during World War II. The narrator's husband is the
     presiding judge as she relates the story of a conscientious
     objector.  (English title: Martin Merriedew)

---Action for Slander. Harper. 1937.
          English slander trial involving an army officer who
     accused another officer of cheating at poker; the facets of
     examination and cross examination during the trial are vital
     to the construction of this novel.

Botein, Bernard. The Prosecutor. Simon & Schuster,, 1956. 
          Portrayal of
     a district attorney's professional life and the prosecuting
     process. Indictments, grand juries, evidence and other ele-
     ments of criminal law are incorporated into this legal novel.

Boulle, Pierre. The Executioner. Vanguard. 1962.
          A Chinese executioner is tried for poisoning his intended
     executionees (instead of executing them in the manner pre-
     scribed by custom). Contravention of duty and the conflicts
     created when custom is law are crucial issues in this novel.

---Face of a Hero. Vanguard. 1956.
          Character study of a public prosecutor in a small French
     town who refuses to compromise and demands the death penalty
     for a man on trial for murder even though he knows the man is
     innocent. (English title: Saving Face).

Busch, Niven. The San Franciscans. Simon & Schuster. 1962.
          A family-owned San Francisco bank becomes involved in a
     lawsuit which threatens to besmirch its reputation and deplete
     the treasury. The bank's president dies and his widow carries
     on the fight against the opposition lawyer. The legal and
     financial transactions of the banking world are depicted in
     this mystery novel.

Camus, Albert. The Fall. Vintage Books. 1956.
          The modern conscience in the face of evil is examined as
     a former Paris lawyer talks about his career as a lawyer and
     reveals his inner self as a result.

---The Stranger. Knopf, 1946.
          A Frenchman in Algiers shoots an Arab; he is tried for
     murder and condemned to death. Lack of human emotion and
     involvement with life, as well as the narrowness of French
     provincial life are explored as the Frenchman contemplates his
     fate.

Carlisle, Henry. Voyage to the First of December. Putnam. 1972.
          Fictionalized diary of a navy ship's surgeon who recorded
     the trial and hanging at sea of the son of the U.S. Secretary
     of War during the 1840's. At the heart of the novel lie the
     questions of the fitness of the punishment for having plotted
     a mutiny and equitable justice at sea.

Cecil,, Henry. According to the Evidence. Harper. 1954.
          An English sex maniac kills four young women. He kills
     two more after having been tried and acquitted. He is, in
     turn, pushed over a cliff by a Commando, who then is caught
     and tried. The Commando is defended by a defense adviser who
     confuses the jury to the point of imbecility in this amoral
     comedy of murder and law.

---Brothers in Law. Harper. 1956.
          Roger Thursby is a first year barrister in this English
     satire of legal procedures.

---Friends at Court. Harper. 1956.
          Roger Thursby is now a Queen's Counsel in this hilarious
     sequel to Brothers in Law. Cecil incorporates English trial
     procedure, argumentative witnesses and irritable judges into
     this novel.

---Sober as a Judge. Harper. 1958.
          The above two novels previously introduced Roger Thursby
     as a young English lawyer. In this novel he has finally
     reached the position of a full High Court judge and feels the
     weight of his responsibilities.

     Other legal novels by Henry Cecil are:

          Alibi for a Judge. 1960.
          Brief to Counsel. 1958.
          Daughters in Law. 1961
          Full Circle. 1961.
          Independent Witness. 1963.
          Long Arm. 1957.
          Natural Causes. 1961
          No Bail for the Judge. 1959.
          Settled Out of Court. 1959.
          Tipping the Scales. 1964.
          Unlawful Occasions. 1962.
          Ways and Means. 1960.

Churchill, Winston. Mr. Crewe's Career. Macmillan. 1908.
          In this analysis of American politics and law, the young
     son of the chief counsel for a railroad company in New Hamp-
     shire defends the people's cause against the corporation in a
     fight for clean politics.

Clark, Walter van Tilburg. The Ox-Bow Incident. Random. 1940.
          Lynching as law is explored in this old style western
     wherein a posse takes the law into its own hands; the story is
     told as it appears to one of the cowboys who joined the posse.

Cozzens, James Gould. By Love Possessed. Harcourt. 1957.
          A question of legal ethics arises as the members of a law
     firm are involved in dipping into trust funds, adultery and
     the seduction of clients.

---The Just and the Unjust. Harcourt. 1942.
          This is considered to be one of the finest of modern
     legal novels; examines in fine detail the modern trial process
     of a murder trial conducted in a small American town in con-
     nection with two gangsters who murdered a member of a nar-
     cotics ring.

Deal, Borden. The Advocate. Doubleday. 1968.
          Involves a case of will defense; an eccentric old woman
     has written a will which is contested by her heirs. Profes-
     sional ethics and conscience come into play as the defense
     lawyer decides to run for governor.

Dewlen, Al. Twilight of Honor. McGraw-Hill. 1962.
          A public defender in Texas must deal with the town's pre-
     judice against his client in this account of a murder trial
     wherein everyone in court knows too much about everyone else.

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Many editions available. 1853.
          Trial procedure and an illustration of legal professional
     life during this time period are shown in this novel. The
     abuses of court procedure in the Court of Chancery are ex-
     plored. An indecisive judge allows a suit to drag on for
     twenty years through motions and other causes of delay.

Dickens, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Many
     editions available. 1837.
          Consists of the letters and manuscripts about the actions
     of the Pickwick Club, including a breach of promise suit and
     trial of Mr. Pickwick after which he refuses to pay damages
     and is put into prison.

Dostoevsky, Fydor. The Brothers Karamazov. Many editions available.
     1880.
          Russian novel in which the relationships of four broth-
     ers to their father are explored. One is convicted of mur-
     dering their drunken father in this portrayal of Russian
     character and human nature in general.

---Crime and Punishment. Available in many editions. 1866.
          Psychological study revolving around the "perfect" murder
     of an old woman. The novel entails an exploration of the
     problem of expiating crime, both mentally and legally, as well
     as the idea of a superman beyond the law.

Dreiser, Theodore. An American Tragedy. World. 1925.
          About the detection, pursuit, prosecution and punishment
     of Clyde Griffith after he murders his pregnant mistress in
     order to be free to marry a society girl who can aid his rise
     from poverty to wealth.

Drury, Allen. Advise and Consent. Doubleday. 1959.
          President's nominee for Secretary of State goes before a
     Senate committee for confirmation. The opposition arises in
     this study of the inner workings of the Senate and our system
     of checks and balances. Lawyers as politicians are explored
     in this Pulitzer Prize winner for 1960.

Other legal novels by Allen Drury are:

          A Shade of Difference. 1962.
          Capable of Honor. 1966.
          Preserve and Protect. 1968.

Faulkner, William. Sanctuary. Cape and other editions. 1931.
          A dishonest legal system along with a corrupted court
     provide the background for this novel which describes the
     South as a decadent and dying society.

Gaither, Frances Ormond. Double Muscadine. Macmillan. 1949.
          Young lawyer conducting his first case in defense of a
     young slave accused of poisoning a plantation family wins an
     appeal and another trial for his client. This is fiction
     modeled in large part on an actual case in the records of the
     Supreme Court of Mississippi in the 1850's.

Garfield, Brian Wynne. Death Sentence. M. Evans & Co. 1975.
          This novel explores the motivations and consequences to a
     man who takes the law into his own hands. He becomes a lone
     vigilante gunning down street criminals in Chicago and New
     York after his own wife and daughter were beaten and murdered
     by thugs; one repercussion is the spawning of other vigilantes
     and the test of the police force's temptation to disregard any
     concerted effort to apprehend them.

Gerber, Albert. The Lawyers. World. 1972.
          Lengthy novel encompassing the life of a successful
     attorney, from his poor Jewish homelife through his law school
     education to his success as a trial lawyer in private prac-
     tice.

Gilbert, Michael. Flash Point. Harper. 1974.
          An English lawyer seeks to reopen a case concerning a
     former union man who is now a major figure in government
     service; British courtroom procedure and law are shown in
     detail.

Gregor, Manfred. Town Without Pity. Random House. 1961.
          A teenaged German girl is raped by American soldiers.
     The ensuing military trial includes an Army captain's dis-
     tasteful job of saving the guilty defendants from the death
     penalty and incriminating the girl.

Hamilton, Bruce.  The Hanging Judge. Harper. 1948.
          Suspense novel concerning a British judge who is tried
     and convicted for murder and who had acquired a reputation as
     a severe administrator of justice during his career on the
     bench.

Hawley, C. Cash McCall. Houghton. 1955.
          Tax law and business law are incorporated into this
     character study of a man gaining wealth and trying to keep his
     integrity. American business life, with big banks, large law
     offices and important mergers provide the background in this
     novel.

Hearon, Shelby. Now and Another Time. Doubleday. 1976.
          This novel encompasses three generations of Texas fam-
     ilies, including a Texas Supreme Court Justice, his rival and
     law partner, his daughter who is a lawyer and newly elected
     Representative to Congress; based in Austin and Kerrville Hill
     Country.

Hensley, Joe L. Rivertown Risk. Doubleday. 1977.
          Young circuit court judge in a small town, up for re-
     election, presides at the murder trial of his political par-
     ty's leader. Small town politics, intrigue and judge's in-
     vestigation of crime make this a fast-paced, interesting
     novel.

     Other legal novels by Joe Hensley are:

          Song of Corpus Juris. 1974.
          The Poison Summer. 1974.
          Legislative Body. 1972.
          Deliver Us to Evil. 1971.
          The Color of Hate.
          A Killing in Gold. 1978.

Herbert, Alan Patrick. Holy Deadlock. Doubleday. 1934.
          The inconsistencies, injustices and hardships of English
     law are explored in this satire involving a couple who wish to
     divorce to marry others and encounter problems in doing so.

Hunter, Evan. The Paper Dragon. Deal. 1966.
          A five-day plagiarism trial, told day by day, concerns a
     play which someone else used as a basis for a novel and film.

Kafka, Franz. The Trial. Knopf. 1937.
          Allegory in which a bank clerk is arrested suddenly; he
     tries to defend himself but gives up and submits to execution
     after fighting the unknown charge in stuffy courtrooms. This
     novel is a commentary on a legal system whose leaders are
     convinced they are correct and the loss of human dignity of
     those at their mercy.

Kazan, Elia. The Assassins. Stein & Day. 1972.
          Murder trial in which the defense counsel and the judge
     are pushed by ambitious wives; they see the case as an oppor-
     tunity to further their careers; the law is used to serve
     political and social ends rather than justice.

Kluger, Richard. Members of the Tribe. Doubleday. 1977.
          A trial novel, tense, well-paced with stress on the
     reaction of a community's overwhelming obedience to due pro-
     cess of law. The theme covers the notion of seeking a scape-
     goat in times of stress.

Koestler, Arthur. Darkness at Noon. Macmillan. 1941.
          Pursuit, detention, confession and death of one of the
     Old Bolsheviks in this study of torture and prison practices.

Lebowitz, Albert. Laban's Will. Random House. 1966.
          A successful lawyer periodically takes out his will and
     reads it aloud to his grown children (and leaves the money to
     different people each time he reads it). He finally dies and
     the truth of the will is finally revealed. This is a novel of
     the manners and values of people in an urban society.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Popular Library. 1960.
          Southern lawyer defends a black man accused of rape;
     Southern prejudices and a plea for racial justice underline
     the events in this novel; Pulitzer Prize for 1961.

Lewis, Sinclair. Cass Timberlane. Random House. 1945.
          Portrayal of Judge Timberlane's relationships with his
     community and its problems, his philosophy of personal rights
     and fair dealings in law, as well as his personal problems
     with a young wife.

Lipsky, Eleazer. Lincoln McKeever. Appleton. 1953.
          A noted New York lawyer enters a land grant case between
     Anglo-Saxon and Spanish cultures in New Mexico.

---Malpractice. Morrow. 1972.
          Brain surgery for cancer and the resulting malpractice
     suit constitute the plot of this novel; the question was
     whether the operation was needed and whether it was correctly
     diagnosed as cancer.

--- The Scientists. Appleton. 1959.
          Scientist develops "biocin" and is sued by his former
     teacher who claimed the work was not entirely his. The re-
     sulting trial and fight for his reputation are important
     components in this legal novel.

Lothar, Ernst. Loom of Justice. Putnam. 1935.
          A judge in Salzburg, notorious for his severe judgments,
     learns his wife is dying of cancer. She begs for death; he
     helps her but fails in his own suicide. He is arrested and
     charged with murder. The resulting trial illustrates the dif-
     ference between the ethics of justice and the ethics of hu-
     manity. This is an early attempt to tackle the still present
     issue of euthanasia.

Mankiewicz, Don M. Trial. Harper. 1955.
          A Mexican-American youth is accused of murdering an Anglo
     girl and is brought to trial. This novel encompasses the
     racist qualities of the trial watchers, the difficulties in
     jury selection and Communist exploitation of minority preju-
     dices; winner of $10,000 Harper Prize Novel Contest in 1955.

Masur, Harold. The Attorney. Random. 1973.
          A lawyer is called upon to defend his wife's cousin in a
     murder trial. This novel is a look at a defense lawyer and
     the detective work often necessary in preparing a case for
     trial.

Melville, Herman. Billy Budd. Many editions available. 1891.
          This novelette involving the British navy and Captain
     Vere's ordeal in sentencing Billy Budd to death for murdering
     another sailor deals with the law of the sea under the Mutiny
     Act.

Mills, James. One Just Man. Simon & Schuster. 1974.
          A legal aid lawyer who represents the "guilty" tries to
     highjack the legal system by advising his clients to plead
     guilty and stop the plea bargaining system. The resulting
     lack of plea bargaining leads to social disruption and a
     charge against the lawyer for "conspiracy to overthrow the
     government."

Motley, Willard, Knock on Any Door. Appleton. 1947.
          Controversial book in which a Chicago boy's tendencies
     toward decency are beaten down by life on the Chicago streets.
     Juvenile mischief leads to reform school which corrupts in-
     stead of reforming. This novel asks whether the criminal is a
     victim of society; sequel is Let No Man Write My Epitaph.
     1958.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Do With Me What You Will. Vanguard. 1973.
          Story of a woman married to a successful lawyer 20 years
     her senior which includes a murder trial, the issues of civil
     rights and radical politics.

O'Hara, John. Ten North Frederick. Random House. 1955.
          Character study of a lawyer through the eyes of those
     attending his funeral who remember him in a series of flash-
     backs, through his rise in politics and other successes and
     failures.

Oleck, Howard. A Singular Fury. World. 1968.
          A San Francisco trial lawyer combines his skills as a
     detective with those as a lawyer. The thinking process of a
     trial lawyer is explored in this novel as Sam Benedict con-
     tends that premenstrual tension led to the psychotic confusion
     of a woman who killed her husband.

Osborn, J.J. The Paper Chase. Houghton. 1971.
          The rigors of Harvard Law School, especially the pres-
     sures and strains of performing well, are shown in this popular
     novel. The case method of teaching is personified by Profes-
     sor Kingsfield whose course in Contract Law is the nucleus of
     the story. This is the first novel of a graduate of Harvard.

Pangborn, Edgar. The Trial of Callista Blake. St. Martins. 1962.
          A murder trial is the basis for this novel in which
     courtroom techniques, jurors' prejudices and misleading cir-
     cumstantial evidence can result in a miscarriage of justice.
     Pangborn criticizes capital punishment, jury trials and the
     adversary system of law.

Pearson, William. Trial of Honor. New American Library. 1967.
          The questions of an innocent man in prison, double jeo-
     pardy and the defense attorney using devious tactics are
     explored in this novel.

Porter, Monica E. The Mercy of the Court. Norton. 1955.
          The professional life of a judge in Michigan, including
     its political complications, provides the background for this
     novel in which the judge decides on leniency for a young
     criminal at the expense of furthering his career.

Powell, Richard. The Philadelphian. Scribners. 1956.
          The customs, habits and states of mind of three genera-
     tions of people in a Philadelphia law firm are depicted in
     this legal novel.

Prescot, Julian. Case for the Accused. Barker. 1961.
          The life of a British solicitor is shown including a
     variety of cases and types of clients as he represents them in
     court, one of whom was a client accused of alcohol intake
     equaling 25 whiskies before causing a serious auto accident.

Reywall, John. Trial of Alvin Boaker. Random House. 1948.
          Account by the presiding judge of the murder trial of a
     colleague, Judge Boaker, who is accused of murdering his
     estranged wife; good example of British court procedure.

Rulee, Robert. Deep Dark River. Farrar. 1935.
          A white woman lawyer defends a black man who has killed a
     fellow tenant worker; this novel depicts the problems of
     struggling blacks with Southern white law which includes the
     prejudices of the community and the corruption of local pol-
     itics.

Schweitzer, Gertrude. Born. Doubleday. 1961.
          This novel comprises the courtroom scenes over the legal
     and moral rights of a Unitarian couple to keep an adopted
     Roman Catholic child as they are challenged by the unwed
     Catholic natural mother.

Smith, Edgar. Reasonable Doubt. Coward McCann. 1970.
          The first novel by a death row convict which includes a
     trial involving organized crime and state corruption.

Snow, C.P. The Affair. Scribners. 1960.
          Injustice is done to a young scientist who is removed
     from his fellowship for scientific fraud; this involves the
     consequences of attempts made to have his case retried before
     the Senior Fellows of Cambridge and the trial itself. Eighth
     in the Strangers and Brothers series.

---In Their Wisdom. Scribners. 1974.
          A contested will has an effect upon the House of Lords in
     which the processes of law are used to portray an image of
     society as a whole.

---Strangers and Brothers. Scribners. 1940.
          owls novels narrate the life of a young English lawyer,
     Lewis Elliot. Elliot tells of his experiences and those of
     his friend and mentor, George Passant, also a lawyer, who is
     charged with fraud. This is the first of a series of eleven
     novels about Lewis Elliot.

     Other novels in the C.P. Snow series are:

          The Light and the Dark. 1947.
          Time of Hope. 1950.
          The Masters. 1951.
          The New Men. 1954.
          Homecoming. 1956.
          Conscience of the Rich. 1958.
          Corridors of Power. 1964.
          Sleep of Reason. 1968.
          Last Things. 1970.
          The Realists. 1978.

Solmssen, Arthur R.G. Alexander's Feast. Little, Brown. 1971.
          Partner in a Philadelphia law firm is invited to Salzburg
     to an international law conference and is confronted with old
     memories as he handles a corporate takeover and a trial for
     larceny.

---The Comfort Letter. Little, Brown. 1975.
          Third novel about the partners in the Philadelphia cor-
     porate law firm of Conyers and Dean. This fiction involves
     the legal aspects of launching a $100 million issue of deben-
     tures by a conglomerate; it is also an exploration of SEC
     practices and the rewards and responsibilities of the lawyer
     whose expertise is in securities.

---Rittenhouse Square. Little, Brown. 1968.
          A month of volunteer work as a public defender shakes a
     young Philadelphia lawyer's smugness and ambition and leads to
     his contemplation of a career as a public servant.

Stein, Sol. The Magician. Delacourt. 1971.
          A high school student is attacked by a fellow classmate;
     a trial results in which a skillful lawyer succeeds in obtain-
     ing a "not guilty" verdict for the assailant. Another fight
     after the trial between the same two students prompts the
     parents of the plaintiff to hire the same attorney to then
     defend their son for murder.

---Other People. 1979.
          George Thompson, the lawyer introduced in The Magician
     becomes involved in a rape case which consists only of plain-
     tiff's testimony. This novel shows the pitfalls of a lawyer
     becoming emotionally and physically involved with the client;
     sophisticated, psychologically based novel.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Weir of Hermiston. Several editions
     available. 1896.
          The tragic story of Lord Justice Hermiston, a merciless
     hanging judge, whose son is arraigned for murder and tried by
     his father, who sentences him to death. Stevenson has written
     several other legal novels such as Kidnapped and David Balfour.

Strindberg, August. The Scapegoat. Several editions available. 1906.
          Psychological character study of a struggling young
     lawyer who tries to find life for himself in a bourgeois
     Swedish mountain village.

Train, Arthur. Ambition. Scribners. 1928.
          This novel concerns the evolution of a bright young
     Harvard graduate as he joins a new law firm, marries and copes
     with the pressures of joining the social register.

---Yankee Lawyer; the Autobiography of Ephraim Tutt. Scrib-
     ners. 1943.
          "Autobiography" which tells the "true" life story of this
     fictional lawyer which includes human interest stories from
     Mr. Tutt's legal life and anecdotes about his nonfictional
     contemporaries such as Teddy Roosevelt and Oliver Wendell
     Holmes.

     Other titles by Arthur Train are:

          McAllister and His Double. 1905.
          Mr. Tutt at His Best. 1961.
          Mr. Tutt Finds a Way. 1945.
          Page Mr. Tutt. 1927.
          Tutt and Mr. Tutt. 1924.
          Tut, Tut, Mr. Tutt. 1923.

Trell, Max. Lawyer Man. 1932.
          A prominent lawyer accepts a breach of promise suit which
     develops complications; this novel deals with the unethical
     doings of an ethical profession.

Trollope, Anthony. Orley Farm. Several editions available. 1862.
          This family chronicle involves a will codicil which is
     contested by another member of the family; a complex legal
     battle ensues which results in a trial.

Uris, Leon. QB VII. Doubleday. 1970.
          A Polish surgeon sues an American novelist for including
     in his books casual mention of Polish claims that the surgeon
     allegedly performed sterilization surgery on Jewish inmates in
     a prison camp; British jurisprudence is the legal setting as
     the case goes before Queen's Bench No. 7.

Vidal, Gore. Burr. Random House. 1973.
          The fictional memoirs of Burr as related by a law clerk
     who is employed in Burr's law office; Aaron Burr attempts to
     improve his historical image by relating his account of his
     Vice Presidency, his duel with Alexander Hamilton, conflicts
     with Thomas Jefferson and trial for treason. Sequel to Burr
     is 1876 (1976).

Voelker, John D. (Traver, Robert, pseud.) Anatomy of a Murder. St.
     Martins. 1958.
          The actions of a brilliant criminal lawyer are traced as
     he prepares the defense of a rape-provoked homicide in Upper
     Michigan; written by a former Justice of the Supreme Court of
     Michigan.

Warren, Robert Penn. All the King's Men. Harcourt. 1946.
          Character study of a Southern demagogue who rises from
     the farm to enter the study of law and then goes into pol-
     itics; this is the story of the path to becoming a political
     "boss. "

---Meet Me in the Green Glen. Random House. 1971.
          This novel concerns the trial of a Sicilian immigrant who
     is accused of murdering his lover's husband. This work has
     been called a tone poem, romantic parable, prose poem and
     Southern novel, all in one.

West, Jessamyn. The Massacre at Fall Creek. Harcourt. 1975.
          Old West story of violence, compassion, justice and death
     which involves nine Indians being massacred by four white men
     and a boy, the resulting trial and convictions.

West, Morris L. Daughter of Silence. Morrow. 1962.
          Alla Albertini kills her mother's murderer after waiting
     16 years to do so; her defense is undertaken by the son-in-law
     of one of Italy's most successful lawyers. Continental law
     provides the legal background for this novel, including the
     classic Latin method of inquisition.

Williams, Ben Ames. Leave Her to Heaven. Houghton. 1944.
          Psychological novel and mystery story involving the
     "suicide" of the first wife of a man and its effects upon the
     second wife, who is eventually indicted for murder.

Woolfolk, William. Opinion of the Court. Doubleday. 1967.
          The Governor of Nebraska is appointed to the Supreme
     Court and finds it engaged in an internal power struggle,
     maneuvering with a powerful President and a growing public
     disapproval of its major decisions.

Wouk, Herman. The Caine Mutiny. Doubleday. 1951.
          Court martial proceedings resulting from the relief of a
     captain at sea during World War II; winner of Pulitzer Prize
     for 1952.

Wigmore's "Legal Novels" Expanded:
A Collaborative Effort

by Richard H. Weisberg 
and Karen L. Kretschman