Though the heavens may fall : the landmark trial that led to the end of human slavery / by Steven M. Wise
by Wise, Steven M
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- ISBN 10
- 0738206954
- ISBN 13
- 9780738206950
- Seller
-
Galway, Ireland
7 Copies Available from This Seller
(You can add more at checkout.)
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Cambridge, Mass. : Da Capo Press, 2005. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine cloth copy in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered.; 282 pages; Description: xvi, 282 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. ""A Merloyd Lawrence book. "" Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-268) and index. Subjects: Sommersett, James --Trials, litigation, etc. --Slavery --Law and legislation --England --History --18th century. Summary: The 1772 London trial of James Somerset, rescued from a ship bound for the West Indies slave markets, was a decisive turning point in history. As in the Scopes trial, two encompassing world views clashed in an event of passionate drama. Steven M. Wise, trial lawyer and legal historian, has uncovered layer upon layer of fascinating revelations in a case which threatened, according to slave owners, to bring the economy of the British Empire to a crashing halt. In a gripping narrative of Somerset's trial-and of the slave trials that led up to it-he sets the stage for the unexpected decision by the famously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield, which would lead to the abolition of slavery, both in England and the United States, and the end of the African slave trade. The characters in this great historical moment go beyond a screenwriter's dream: Somerset's novice attorneys arguing their first case; the fervent British abolitionist Granville Sharp, a cross between Ralph Nader and William Lloyd Garrison, who had brought case after case to court in an attempt to abolish slavery; the master's two-faced and skillful lawyer, who had recently argued before Mansfield that slavery could not exist in England; and finally, the greatest judge of his time, Lord Mansfield, whose own mulatto grand-niece, Dido Belle, was his slave. As the case drew to a close Lord Mansfield spoke these stirring words that continue to resound more than two centuries later: ""Let Justice be done, though the Heavens may fall"".
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- MW Books Ltd. (IE)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 154956
- Title
- Though the heavens may fall : the landmark trial that led to the end of human slavery / by Steven M. Wise
- Author
- Wise, Steven M
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 7
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0738206954
- ISBN 13
- 9780738206950
- Publisher
- Cambridge, Mass. : Da Capo Press
- Place of Publication
- New York, New York, U.s.a.
- Date Published
- 2005
Terms of Sale
MW Books Ltd.
Returns accepted within 10 days of receipt if you are unsatisfied with either our description of, or the book itself.
About the Seller
MW Books Ltd.
Biblio member since 2005
Galway
About MW Books Ltd.
MW Books is an academic and antiquarian bookshop with a large stock in core areas such as Early Travel & Exploration, Nineteenth Century Literature, Early Political Economy, Labour and Social History, and Asian and Colonial History. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding any item listed.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...