Sober as a Judge
by Henry Cecil
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/Good
- Seller
-
Wilmington, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Dust jacket with some creasing and edgewear. Price inked on rear blank endpage. pages age toned but otherwise clean and intact throughout. Please see image. 217 pages.
Reviews
On Dec 16 2016, PhillipTaylorMBE said:
CECIL IS STILL AS FRESH AS EVER WITH THE FINAL STORY IN THE THURSBY SERIES!
THESE TALES AND CHARACTERS DONT CHANGE MUCH OVER THE YEARS AND THE PROSE REMAINS DELIGHTFULLY LIGHT
An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers
The final story in the Roger Thursby trilogy is called "Sober as a Judge". A great title for a book which recounts Thursby's imminent elevation to the bench and how it was done some sixty-odd years ago, it is written by that master legal story-teller and experienced county court judge, Henry Cecil, and remains a delightful read to this day. But be warned that you need to think about this story in relation to the time it was written: the 1950s with the values and approaches of that time which he covers with light prose.
Thursby, who is described as "in the flush of youth" whatever that means, is about to be elevated to the High Court Bench. He feels the considerable weight that will rest on his shoulders with his new judicial responsibilities. And Cecil brings much little comedy to the various sub-stories throughout "Sober as a Judge". Cecil will, of course, be known to many readers for his short stories so the structure of his books is often a collection of stories woven together. Such tales always make for a delightful read.
The theme for the final storyline is that Thursby's one-time school friend, Plummer, decides to ruffle him a bit, and literally takes him for a ride- and then stages an introduction to a night club entertainer who proves a bit embarrassing to our "Sobersides Roger". Do remember with some caution the time when the stories appeared and the values of the time which may be somewhat 'quaint' by today's standards.
This theme plays tantalizingly across the court room scenes which dominate the book - and comes up with a surprise ending which we will not give away. To be expected, Roger Thursby manages to keep his name out of the headlines and the gossip columns (no social media then) while "lending distinction to the court through a succession of cases of varying interest". And that is why the books are still worth reading today because the legal issue (naturally) do not change.
Once again "the intricacies and the foibles of the English law"- enlivened by knowledgeable sub-plots – complete the Roger Thursby story and the reader does, of course, like Roger. It is another set of stories from Cecil to treasure during some downtime from the realities of court room life.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Zephyrus Books, IOBA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- AH0800008
- Title
- Sober as a Judge
- Author
- Henry Cecil
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Harper & Brothers
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1958
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature & Other Fiction;
Terms of Sale
Zephyrus Books, IOBA
Items may be returned within 30 days of receipt. Please contact seller prior to return. All items are subject to prior sale, so please contact me to make arrangements and to reserve an item if you wish to pay via mail or PayPal. Checks and money orders should be payable to: "John Sweeney"
Sales tax will be added to New York State orders.
About the Seller
Zephyrus Books, IOBA
Biblio member since 2004
Wilmington, New York
About Zephyrus Books, IOBA
Zephyrus Books is an online only bookstore. A specialty is regional books and maps of the Adirondacks and Northern New York. We stock a wide variety of books, maps and prints.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...