I was surprised by the book Scoundrels in Law by Cait
Murphy. It's about the trials of legal firm Howe and Hummel in the last half of nineteenth
century New York City and the beginning of the twentieth. If you ever wondered
what was going on during the architectural evolution, this explains some of the
social activity. It includes the highly public trial of Harry Thaw, Stanford
White's murderer, since they represented the defendant. (Stanford White was an
architect and partner in the prestigious New York firm McKim, Mead and White.)
It you ever wondered what the word "tenement" actually
meant during those times, this book paints a picture you will remember.
