Author(s): Geoffrey Robertson

SECONDHAND BOOKS | HISTORY

Radical barrister, John Cooke had the skill and daring to prosecute a King who was above the law. He was the son of a poor Leicestershire farmer whose puritan conscience, political vision and love of civil liberty gave him the courage to bring the trial of Charles I to its dramatic conclusion: the English republic. Cromwell appointed him as a reforming Chief Justice in Ireland, but in 1660 he was dragged back to the Old Bailey, tried and brutally executed. Geoffrey Robertson QC, the internationally renowned human rights lawyer, provides a vivid new reading of the tumultuous Civil War years, exposing long-hidden truths: that the King was guilty as charged; that his execution was necessary to establish the sovereignty of Parliament; that the regicide trials were rigged and their victims should be seen as national heroes. John Cooke was the bravest of barristers, who risked his own life to make tyranny a crime. He originated the right to silence, the'cab rank' rule of advocacy and the duty to act free-of-charge for the poor. First published 2005, now in softback and a fantastic read.

2006. A trade paperback copy in near fine condition.