Summer for the Gods

Scholarly, informative . . . fair and meticulous . . . IN some ways, America seems to be only just learning the truth of the Scopes trial and the implications of the debate over evolution. [Larson's] book is a critical piece of the educational process."--First Things Larson . . . is becoming one of the leading historians of his generation.--Gregg Easterbrook, Washington Monthly A stunning and well-documented narrative that places the trial in an historical, legal, religious, and scientific context, and then continues beyond to assess its impact on the tension between science and religion that persists right up to the present."--Quarterly Review of Biology "This book has already won a Pulitzer Prize, but it's worth calling attention to again. . . . Larson . . . finds new things to say about the famous "monkey trial" of 1925 and says them well. Among other things, he shows how the trial helped to break down the longstanding intellectual accommodation between Darwinism and Protestant theology, highlights the tensions between celebrity lawyer Clarence Darrow and the rest of John Scopes's defense team, and demonstrates how the enormously influential drama Inherit the Wind significantly warped the trial and its aftermath."--Luther Spoehr, Providence Journal-Bulletin "The real story of the Scopes trial, it turns out, is more interesting, more mischievous, and more perverse than the complacent received wisdom. A historian of science and a lawyer, Professor Larson has written a devastatingly good book."--Michigan Law Review "The originality of his book arises in large part from its thoughtful, evenhanded treatment of both sides in the confrontation-and the seriousness with which he takes the opposing convictions about religion, science, and their relationship to the law that clashed in Dayton . . . Larson's account of the trial and the legal issues involved in it [are] particularly illuminating . . . [He] provides a fascinating account of how the trial became the legend that was eventually passed on by Inherit the Wind . . . [This is an] excellent book."--The New York Review of Books "Summer for the Gods is, quite simply, the best book ever written on the Scopes trial and its place in American history and myth. The tone is balanced; the research, meticulous; the prose, sparkling."--Ronald L. Numbers, University of Wisconsin-Madison and author, The Creationists "Summer for the Gods is a remarkable retelling of the trial and the events leading up to it, proof positive that truth is stranger than science."--Amazon.com "Skillfully interweaves the historical with the legal . . . A superbly balanced account, both in narrative as well as analysis. . . . Summer for the Gods provides a thoughtful, reasoned approach to comprehending a deep-rooted culture clash, which, although it might change with each generation, shows little sign of disappearing."--Journal of Southern History "Much more than a lively, informative piece of historical reconstruction and criticism: It is as relevant to present controversies as it would have been in the 1920s. . . . a scholarly, extremely well-documented, engrossing narrative that is accessible to a general audience."--Bioscience "Magnificent reconstruction of the Scopes trial and its significance."--Church History "Larson's work is a thoroughly researched, thoroughly readable retelling of the tale. It leaves no subplot or character untouched. And when one considers how powerful the tensions underlying events 72 years ago remain today, Larson deserves hearty thanks. He's reintroducing us to vital history that too quickly transformed into fiction and myth. . . . The Scopes trial is still with us. Larson has elevated its presence from simplified myth to illuminating fact."--Christian Science Monitor "Larson's narrative manages to convey the complexity of the legal issues as well as the drama of the even

Edward J. Larson is the author of twelve books, including The Return of George Washington and The Magnificent Catastrophe, and the recipient of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in History. He is the University Professor of History and holds the Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University.