Darrow: A Biography

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishers, 1981. First Edition First Printing Stated . Hard Back. Near Fine/Very Good. 6 1/4" x 9 1/4. 490 Pages Indexed. Dust jacket has some edge and corner wear. Otherwise tight bright book with no marks or stamps. Dust jacket price 16.95 is unclipped. A major biography of the legendary courtroom firebrand. The presents a fresh, complex portrait of a towering figure in American history. Sweeping in scope and penetrating in its insights, the book traces Darrow's rise from obscurity to fame and notoriety, laying bare the truth about a man who encouraged myths to grow around himself. Darrow was a focus for radical ideals and was at the center of many causes celebres. Writer, social reformer, lawyer, and politician, he fought for unions, advancement of the blacks, and redistribution of wealth, and agianst the trusts. A poor boy of limited formal education who achieved great intellecdtual distincion in adult life, an idealist, and above all a public figure who struggled to maintain his independence until the end, Darrow is the very personificaiton of the American hero. Often his public pronouncements had an appealing surface clarity that concealed an underlying ambivalence, and this elusiveness, which was to plague both his public and private relationships, is a key to understanding his unique career.