Little Book of Big Ideas: Law »

Robert Hockett is an associate professor at Cornell Law School.

Little Big of Big Ideas: Law distills the essential history of two millennia of legal thought and practice through the lives of 50 great legal minds. The great trial lawyers, judges, codifiers, and legal philosophers are all introduced, along with 10 legal principles that underpin modern systems of justice. Find out where the law comes from, the people who developed it, and what justifies it. Discover the great activist lawyers, the defenders of human rights, and founders of international law. From Hammurabi and the legal codes of ancient Babylon to the groundbreaking legal theorists of the Enlightenment and contemporary debate about the origins and extent of human rights, the Little Book of Big Ideas: Law charts the developments of the legal systems that rule our lives today.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School

Each book includes 50 profiles of prominent figures as well as discussions of 10 major concepts. Medicine discusses "Ancients," "The Body," "Disease," "Pharmacologists," and "Practitioners." People profiled include Hippocrates, Henry Gray, Marie Curie, and Sigmund Freud, and larger topics covered include animal experimentation and a look at cells. Law is divided according to "Early Lawgivers and Law"; "Legal Innovators and Consolidators"; "Jurists, Jurisprudence, and Justice Thinkers"; "Founders of International Law"; and "Renowned Trial Lawyers." Individuals profiled include King William I, Thomas Jefferson, Jeremy Bentham, and Thurgood Marshall. Among the key legal issues examined are separation of powers and natural rights. Profiles have a one-line summary followed by the person's name and a paragraph that provides a quick overview of the individual's most famous contributions. Several paragraphs follow, providing a more in-depth look at the person's life. Each entry also includes a side box with birth and death dates and a sentence on the individual's importance. Some profiles include charts or diagrams that help to explain the person's contribution or discovery. Key concepts also begin with a paragraph that gives a brief overview of the idea and then delves into a more elaborate explanation. All of the entries are clear and concise. These books are good starting places for research.-Kelliann Bogan, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH