"Clarence Darrow [was] perhaps the most effective courtroom opponent of cant, bigotry, and special privilege that our country has produced. All of Darrow's most celebrated pleas are here—in defense of Leopold and Loeb (1924), of Lieutenant Massie (1932), of Big Bill Haywood (1907), of Thomas Scopes (1925), and of himself for attempted bribery. The ghastly comedy of his deadpan interrogation of William Jennings Bryan on the origin of man in the Scopes case is particularly recommended."

The New Yorker

“More illuminating as well as more dramatic than anything that has yet appeared about [Darrow].  The editor’s introductory notes … set the stage, introduce the actors and give the essential facts.  What follows is by the lawyer himself—‘Darrow in the raw,’ as Justice Douglas puts it . . .  ‘as fresh as the day he spoke’.”

Alpheus T. Mason | Herald Tribune Book Review

“That Clarence Darrow was the great protagonist of that age, no one would deny. . . . In the present volume Mr. Weinberg wisely permits him to speak for himself."

American Bar Association Journal

"A truly timeless book.  This brilliantly edited collection captures the eloquence and the passion of Clarence Darrow.   Darrow’s insights about justice and society—on topics such as the death penalty, criminal responsibility, inequality, and the importance of labor—are as relevant today as when they were spoken.  Law students, lawyers, judges, and all who care about justice should read and reread this book." 

Erwin Chemerinsky | Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine School

"Attorney for the Damned is a volume that remains as relevant today as on the days Clarence Darrow delivered his powerful arguments. Substantively, Darrow presented a near-prophetic vision of justice and morality on many of the issues that continue to engender passionate debate. Rhetorically, Darrow’s arguments are the most fertile source available for those wishing to develop the skills of a great trial lawyer or simply to learn how to argue persuasively.  We would all be so much richer were Clarence Darrow alive today. Short of that, this volume keeps his spirit and essence alive in ways that allow us and future generations to continue to learn from his extraordinary battles."

Lawrence Marshall | Stanford Law School

“Clarence Darrow’s courtroom speeches feel as timely today as when he delivered them nearly a century ago. Each reads like a compelling narrative, each delivered to protect the unprotected, to right a wrong. Darrow was an American hero, someone who stood his ground -- with eloquence, wisdom and a clear sense of drama. Anyone grappling with the fissures in the American landscape should have this book on their shelves.”

Alex Kotlowitz | author of There Are No Children Here

"Thank goodness for court reporters, so we have these masterworks by Clarence Darrow, America’s Cicero. We should be even more grateful for Arthur Weinberg’s skilful edit and arrangement of these speeches – starting with Darrow addressing prisoners in Cook County Jail and ending with an address to keep himself out of prison. While Darrow was one of America’s greatest lawyers, and while this book is better than an entire college course in Rhetoric, I hope readers grasp that he was one of the great American writers – a writer whose work takes us to far darker places than most of our great writers dare to go. 

This book can make you despair about the country, and cherish it for the brilliance and honesty of speeches like these."

Tom Geoghegan | author of The Secret Lives of Citizens