Exams in the Good Old Days

Yes, it looks like law school exams were easier in the old days--well, the really old days, anyway. Thanks to the Harvard Law School Library, which has digitized and posted the full run of annual law school exams from 1871 to 1998, you can explore this treasure trove and judge for yourself. Of course, the law was much simpler without current tax, civil rights, sales and other statutes to deal with. And Professor Christopher Langdell, who introduced the case-method into legal education, had just begun his Deanship. But how long would you have had to study for this 1871 torts exam? Check out the exams and how they changed over the years, and see if you can answer the questions about them posed by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Studies in Scarlet

Last Tuesday's post directed you to "bloody murder" from the Harvard Law Library. This week, we are following it up with adultery, abduction, and seduction. Also from the Harvard Law Library, Studies in Scarlet presents trial narratives involving marriage and sexuality from 1815-1914. This fascinating collection "consists of the stories of ordinary men and women thrust into the public eye when their marriages and love affairs went wrong or their relationships did not conform to social standards."

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat