This first volume on James's life in relation to the writings brings us up to 1881 and The Portrait of a Lady. Novick can be more daring than Leon Edel was, especially about James's love life, as there are now more letters available. It's also nice not to have Edel's over-the-top psychological readings of the works and his Literary-Guild style of narration. Readers may well have overlooked this important book, as it got little press when it came out--the NY Times Book Review gave it two paragraphs in their "Books in Brief" department! But when vol. ii comes out, we will have the most balanced and readable biography of James to date.

I can understand why this book is out of print. Novick could not decide whether he was writing for the mass market or other law professionals. He evidently gathered abundant research materials, arranged them chronologically, and tried to organize them into coherent chapters. Novick's discomfort in dealing with Holmes' private life results in a rather stilted account of the pivotal events in his life. Novick did not even attempt to connect these events to his works before and after he sat on the Massachusetts bench. Furthermore, no insight whatsoever enlightens our understanding of Holmes' thoughts at the time he rendered his most important judicial decisions. Don't bother trying to find this book now that it has been buried.

I read it as a books-on-tape title. I enjoyed listening to it, it was quite fascinating learning about the life of a man who fought in the Civil War and went on to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA; his significant influence into our country's judicial thinking has been a source of inspiration for me to further understand it and its origins

This is an excellent book for any pre-law student who is interested in learning more about Justice Holmes. I read the first review that was written by another reader, and was shocked. Sheldon M. Novick did an excellent job researching the material and writing it in such a manner that any reader can understand. Before reading this book, I did not know anything about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. However, sense completing it, I feel that I know every aspect of his life. The book begins with his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It takes you into the 19th century in time when cobblestones were the roads many of the carriages and early motor vehicles drove on. It describes in detail critical information about Justice Holmes and how his character was shaped by his parents, and mentors that included former presidents. I was especially impressed with the role he played as a son, a brother, and a devoted and caring husband. The book describes his role as a judge in the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston, and moves on onto his appointment by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Supreme Court. It helped me understand many of the case's I had to brief last semester. This is my first review, so I will end here.