Saturday, August 26, 2006

Floyd Abrams' list

Floyd Abrams, who defended The New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case, is a partner in the law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel.

His most recent book is Speaking Freely: Trials of the First Amendment.

Read an excerpt from the "Introduction" here.

Read an excerpt from chapter one, "The Pentagon Papers Case," here.

Abrams came up with a pretty interesting list of books for The Week magazine.

Here is a sample:
Cockpit by Jerzy Kosinski

Cockpit’s protagonist, an ex-government agent, is one of the coldest, most self-sufficient, and terrifying characters in American fiction. Kosinski was underrated while he lived, often for disturbingly political reasons. This book, among others, illustrates his lasting relevance.

The Morality of Consent by Alexander M. Bickel

One of the wisest and most elegantly written books about law, the Supreme Court, and American government—and all in fewer than 150 pages. Bickel’s analysis of the “adversary game” between press and government in which each plays its role in a continuing contest may be even more relevant today than when he wrote this volume in the early 1970s.
Click here to read about Abrams' other choices.

--Marshal Zeringue