A Working Lawyer's Life: The Letter Book of John Henry Senter

2009. ISBN-13: 9781584779223; ISBN-10: 1584779225. Glimpses Into the Life Of a Nineteenth-Century Vermont Lawyer Beck, Karen S. A Working Lawyer's Life: The Letter Book of John Henry Senter 1879-1884. Clark: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2008. xiv, 15-267 pp. ISBN-13: 9781584779223. ISBN-10: 1584779225. Cloth bound harcover with dust jacket. New. $49.95 * Senter [1848-1916] was a lawyer who practiced in a small Vermont town. His letter book, which contains 326 letters copied between April 1879 and 1884, records his business dealings, goals and thoughts. Richly detailed and often frank, these letters take us into the world of a small-town lawyer in the late nineteenth century. They introduce us to his clients, the legal matters he addressed, the way he ran his business and his daily difficulties (such as clients who failed to pay their bills). This book has two parts. The first part is a biography of Senter and a history of his practice. The second is a transcription of the letter book. Karen S. Beck was the Manager for Historical and Special Collections, Harvard Law School Library. "Our knowledge of the everyday work, achievements, and problems of nineteenth century lawyers is constantly expanding. Much, however, remains to be learned. Karen Beck, Curator of Rare Books, Boston College Law Library, helps in this enterprise with this valuable contribution to the literature on legal practitioners.": Jill Norgren, Law and Politics Book Review 19 No.6 (June 2009) 351-354.