Second Helpings: expanded edition, now including Last Scrapings

Product Description

Second Helpings

“As the days passed, however, the thought of this old man, locked up in a prison cell, cut off from this family, grieving for a wife with whom he had lived lovingly for over half a century (true he had killed her but only because he could no longer bear to watch her suffering), got to me and filled me with gloom. Is there, I thought, really much point in being a judge if one cannot correct an injustice such as I now felt this to be?”

• Lord Brown’s deep sense of social responsibility informs his decisions and opinions both as a judge and a member of the Supreme Court.
• This book, with its expanded section, continues Simon Brown’s fascinating insight into a senior lawyer’s life and the exercise of his responsibilities.

Reviews

“A combination of wisdom, experience, empathy and humour.” Jonathan Sumption

“Simon Brown writes as he speaks, with humanity, humour and self-deprecation.” Shami Chakrabati

“Sprinkled with humour…. From jury to crusty judges, legal dinners to life on the circuit, Brown’s second helpings come with desert - and a heart-warming digestif. Frances Gibb, The Times

“Funny, vivid and unexpectedly revealing…. Lord Brown’s Oxford Lecture of 2010 ‘Are Juries a Good Thing? The Jury is Out’ is reason enough in itself to acquire this delightful volume.” Earl Howe, The House

The Story Behind...

Second Helpings

THE EXPANDED EDITION OF SECOND HELPINGS by Simon Brown

More vivid, amusing and telling reflections from the life in the law of one of the most senior members of our legal profession.

When we published Volume 1 of Lord Brown’s recollections of his life, I contacted Apple to ask if they knew of any other author who had written a 50,000 word manuscript entirely on their phone. They couldn’t believe it. That was the origin of Volume 1 of his memoir, Playing Off the Roof.

Then, a few months later, a new manuscript appeared, once more written on his iPhone - and that became Volume 2 of his memoir, Second Helpings. Surely that was the end?  Certainly not! A few months passed, and more stories appeared - what Lord Brown calls Last Scrapings. How were we to publish this?

After discussion, we agreed that we would add an additional 30,000 words to Second Helpings and issue the extended edition as a paperback.

Simon Brown is a full working member of the House of Lords - so where does he find the time and the energy? Unlike most authors, his texts require an absolute  minimum of editing. He knows exactly what he wants to say.

What does he tell us? What it is like to be a barrister and a judge and a member of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. The man we meet views his professional calling with a profound seriousness. He is not afraid to avoid the difficult questions that exercising the law can bring.  His humanity shines through every word he writes. His is an exceptional life in the law.

Francis Bennett