Friends at Court

London: Michael Joseph , 1956. First edition. Cloth. Very Good/Very Good. 8" by 5.5". None. A smart copy of Henry Cecil's fictional work, surrounding the humorous battle between barristers. Second impression of the first edition. Featuring original unclipped illustrated dustwrapper, designed by Riviere. Henry Cecil Leon (19 September 1902 – 23 May 1976), who wrote under the pen-names Henry Cecil and Clifford Maxwell, was a judge and a writer of fiction about the British legal system. He was born near London in 1902 and was called to the Bar in 1923. Later in 1949 he was appointed a County Court Judge, a position he held until 1967. He used these experiences as inspiration for his work. His books typically feature educated and genteel fraudsters and blackmailers who lay ludicrously ingenious plots exploiting loopholes in the legal system. There are several recurring characters, such as the drunken solicitor Mr Tewkesbury and the convoluted and exasperating witness Colonel Brain. He writes well about the judicial process, usually through the eyes of a young barrister but sometimes from the viewpoint of the judge; Friends at Court contains a memorable snub from a County Court judge to a barrister who is trying to patronise him. Cecil did not believe that judges should be too remote from the public: in Sober as a Judge, a High Court judge, in a case where the ingredients of a martini are of some importance, states drily that he will ignore the convention by which he should inquire "what is a martini?" and instead gives the recipe for the cocktail himself. In original binding with original unclipped dustwrapper. Externally, smart. Dustwrapper with minor fading to the spine and rear board. Light chipping to the spine, and small closed tear to the front board. Cloth is sound, but with light damp staining. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Very Good