A Brief Narrative of the Case and Tryal of John Peter Zenger, Printer of the New-York Weekly Journal.

by John Peter Zenger def

"AS There was but one Printer in the Province of New-York, that printed a publick News Paper, I was in Hopes, if I undertook to publish another, I might make it worth my while; and I soon found my Hopes were not My first Paper was printed, Nov. 5th, 1733. and I continued printing and publishing of them, I thought to the Satisfaction of every Body, till the January following; when the Chief Justice was pleased to animadvert upon the Doctrine of Libels, in a long Charge given in that Term to the Grand Jury, and afterwards on the third Tuesday of October, 1734. was again pleased to charge the Grand Jury in the following Words."
This is an edition of a classical book first published in the eighteenth century.

56 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1963

Reviews

[Robert Federline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an in-depth analysis of the first, and one of the most important, trials in the infant America. This text, while containing enlightening and well-reasoned analysis by noted legal scholars, is the best text for the review because of its presentation of original sources and contemporaneous resources.

This is one of the most important cases in the law of defamation, and an early example of jury nullification.

A great resource for those who want good history and not revisionist history which is growing in popularity. The extensive reliance upon the original records helps to keep the examination real so that is not sidetracked by the propaganda surrounding the topic and the mythologizing of the opiion and its impact.