Wigmore's great work continues to influence the law of evidence as we move into the 21st century. From doctrinal considerations such as the nature of inference and the exclusionary rules to case analysis involving such lap-to-the-minute controversies as DNA fingerprinting and patient-psychotherapist privilege, this annually supplemented masterwork continues to provide authoritative guidance again and again. With the most comprehensive coverage you'll find anywhere, Wigmore's plan encompasses all this and more: Admissibility -- Relevancy -- Circumstantial evidence -- Character or disposition as evidence -- Opportunity -- Alibi -- Proving capacity, design, or intent -- Proving knowledge, belief, or consciousness -- Proving motive, feeling, or passion -- Proving identity -- Mental derangement or immaturity -- Moral depravity -- Testimonial recollection -- Confessions -- Impeachment -- Proving bias, corruption, or interest -- Contradiction and self-contradiction -- Rehabilitation -- The hearsay rule and its exceptions -- Opinions -- Authentication of documents -- Privilege -- Confidential communications -- Burdens and presumptions.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Originally published: 5th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1956.

Honorable Mention, 2017 Scribes Book Award, The American Society of Legal Writers At the dawn of the twentieth century, the United States was reeling from the effects of rapid urbanization and industrialization. Time-honored verities proved obsolete, and intellectuals in all fields sought ways to make sense of an increasingly unfamiliar reality. The legal system in particular began to buckle under the weight of its anachronism. In the midst of this crisis, John Henry Wigmore, dean of the Northwestern University School of Law, single-handedly modernized the jury trial with his 1904-5 Treatise onevidence, an encyclopedic work that dominated the conduct of trials. In so doing, he inspired generations of progressive jurists—among them Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Benjamin Cardozo, and Felix Frankfurter—to reshape American law to meet the demands of a new era. Yet Wigmore’s role as a prophet of modernity has slipped into obscurity. This book provides a radical reappraisal of his place in the birth of modern legal thought.