BACKBONE OF THE HERRING

Legal memoirs, somewhat academic, elegantly mannered in style, this is nevertheless a happy departure from the usual type. An intellectual approach to a study of a judge's responsibilities, weaknesses, humanity, interpretation of justice, etc. in a narrative presentation of the protagonist, Judge Ulen's tenure of office and the cases that come before him. Ulah stands for a composite picture of a judge- one senses a good deal of autobiography here, and also a judicious inclusion of the experiences of others, so as to cover a wider field, all types of cases on the judicial calendar. Good tales, emphasizing the constant drain on a magistrate's faculties, the pressure each case exerts, the demands on the spirit as well as the letter of the law. Curtis Hok is himself Judge of Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia.