Troubled Lives: John and Sarah Austin

by Lotte Hamburger, Joseph Hamburger

Toronto 1985 first edition. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-2521-8. Hardcover. Octavo, 261pp., cloth. Fascinating story of brilliant legal philosopher, John Austin, who early in his professional life gave series of university lectures on what is now known as Austinian legal theory, major principles of which he outgrew and completely changed as he matured and studied more, witnessed the 1848 revolution in France, met and read de Tocqueville and so on, but who died without having the energy or will to rewrite his anticipated magnun opus. His wife Sarah then published his old lectures unrevised and in so doing established an Austinian legal theory which dead John would clearly denounce and disown were he alive. Sad story but very interesting reading. Near Fine (light price tage residue on end papers) in VG plus dj.

261 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1985

Reviews

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Joseph Hamburger
Coauthor

From our pages (Spring/86): "Sarah Austin was the distinguished translator of Goethe and Ranke, and John Austin was the founder of the analytical school of jurisprudence. This book is a biography of an unusual Victorian marriage."