"Despite the demands of a practice undertaken without today's modern conveniences--and electricity--19th century lawyers and judges in America found the time, and the inclination, to write poetry, and a good deal of it was about the law--their clients, cases, trials--even law books--and their passion for the affairs of the day. They wrote about the Civil War, cities, the poor, and characters they encountered. Some of the poems were humorous. They also wrote about timeless themes such as nature, faith and illness. In this collection featuring poems by President John Quincy Adams and Supreme Court Justices Joseph Story and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael H. Hoeflich, an expert on 19th century American legal practice, has included poetry by lawyers (and non-lawyers) about the law and by lawyers. These poems offer us a window into life in 19th century America as reflected in the practice of law, which by its very nature is entwined in so many stages of life" --