A Life of H.L.A. Hart
The Nightmare and the Noble Dream
Published on 20. April 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
450 pages
978-0-19-920277-5 (ISBN)
Description
Shortlisted for the 2005 British Academy Book prize, Nicola Lacey's entrancing biography recounts the life of H.L.A. Hart, the pre-eminent legal philosopher of the twentieth century. Following Hart's life from modest origins as the son of Jewish tailor parents in Yorkshire to worldwide fame as the most influential English-speaking legal theorist of the post-War era, the book traces his successive metamorphoses; from Yorkshire schoolboy to Oxford scholar, from government intelligence officer to Professor of Jurisprudence, from awkward batchelor to family figurehead.
In the tradition of Ray Monk's biography of Wittgenstein, Nicola Lacey paints an absorbing picture of intellectual and psychological development, of a mind struggling to cope with intellectual self-doubt, uncertain sexuality, a difficult marriage and an anti-semitic society. In depicting the evolution of Hart's life and mind, Lacey provides a vivid recreation of both the intellectual and social climate of Oxford in the post-War era.
In the tradition of Ray Monk's biography of Wittgenstein, Nicola Lacey paints an absorbing picture of intellectual and psychological development, of a mind struggling to cope with intellectual self-doubt, uncertain sexuality, a difficult marriage and an anti-semitic society. In depicting the evolution of Hart's life and mind, Lacey provides a vivid recreation of both the intellectual and social climate of Oxford in the post-War era.
Reviews / Votes
Overall this is an outstanding biography of a fascinating personality which will appeal to readers interested in Hart, jurisprudence or Oxford academic life. * The Journal of Intelligence History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
38 halftone plates
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
720 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-920277-5 (9780199202775)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2004
Oxford University Press
€110.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Nicola Lacey is Professor of Criminal Law, at the London School of Economics, and Adjunct Professor of Social and Political Theory, at the Research School of Social Sciences of the Australian National University.
Content
Acknowledgements ; List of Illustrations ; Biographer's Note on Approach and Sources ; Introduction: An Outsider on the Inside ; I NORTH AND SOUTH ; 1. Harrogate, Cheltenham, Bradford ; 2. An Oxford Scholar ; 3. Success Snatched from Defeat: London and the Bar ; II CHANGE AND CONTINUITY ; 4. Jenifer ; 5. From the Inns of Court to Military Intelligence: MI5, Marriage, and Fatherhood ; 6. Oxford from the Other Side of the Fence ; III THE GOLDEN AGE ; 7. Selling Philosophy to the Lawyers: The Chair of Jurisprudence ; 8. American Jurisprudence through English Eyes: Harvard 1956 - 7 ; 9. Law in the Perspective of Philosophy: Causation in the Law, The Concept of Law ; 10. West and East, California and Israel: Law, Liberty, and Morality; Kelsen Visited; The Morality of the Criminal Law ; 11. Discipline, Punishment, and Responsibility ; IV AFTER THE CHAIR ; 12. Old Turks and Young Fogeys: Bentham and Brasenose ; 13. The Nightmare and the Noble Dream ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Biographical Details of Figures Appearing in the Book ; Index