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.

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.

A collection of essays on music and life by the famed classical pianist and composer Stephen Hough is one of the world’s leading pianists, winning global acclaim and numerous awards, both for his concerts and his recordings. He is also a writer, composer, and painter, and has been described by The Economist as one of “Twenty Living Polymaths.” Hough writes informally and engagingly about music and the life of a musician, from the broader aspects of what it is to walk out onto a stage or to make a recording, to specialist tips from deep inside the practice room: how to trill, how to pedal, how to practice. He also writes vividly about people he’s known, places he’s traveled to, books he’s read, paintings he’s seen; and he touches on more controversial subjects, such as assisted suicide and abortion. Even religion is there—the possibility of the existence of God, problems with some biblical texts, and the challenges involved in being a gay Catholic. Rough Ideas is an illuminating, constantly surprising introduction to the life and mind of one of our great cultural figures.

Wigmore on Alcohol is an indispensable tool for medical and legal practitioners looking for up-to-date scientific evidence related to blood alcohol. The author, James G. Wigmore, is a forensic alcohol toxicologist who has testified in over 600 criminal trials at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in civil and coroner cases, and has published more than 50 articles in the field of forensic alcohol toxicology.