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Posted by: Nathan Dorn
A walk through the stacks of the Law Library of Congress will give you a vivid sense, if you had ever wondered, of what more than a million books looks like. Current statistics show that the Law Library houses 2.78 million physical volumes in its collection. Nearly all of these are stored in four gigantesque …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law, Law Library
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
Yesterday I published a post that provided some background information on Pitcairn Island: the mutiny on board the HMS Bounty led by Fletcher Christian on April 28, 1789; the settlement of Pitcairn (and subsequent emigration to Norfolk Island); William Bligh’s long trip home to England; and the court-martials of some of the mutineers that decided …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
I have previously written about “legal pirates” who came across a spot of bother in the South Seas, and today I bring you another saga from the Pacific. Yesterday, April 28, was the 224th anniversary of the mutiny on board the HMS [or HMAV] Bounty. This is an event that has fascinated people for generations. The …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Imagine a court that could force you to incriminate yourself. It might go about its work like this: you are made to stand before a judge who refuses to give you any details about the charge laid against you. You are forced to take an oath before your God to answer truthfully any questions that …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Ruth Levush
The Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress recently completed a major report titled Firearms- Control Legislation and Policy (February 2013). The study examines the different legal approaches taken by eighteen countries and the European Union with regard to various activities involving firearms. The countries surveyed were Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, …
Posted in: Education, Global Law, Law Library
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
You may know what it is, but you may never have tried it. Or you may have tried it and screwed up your nose at the strange salty flavor. However, to many people – myself included – it is “black gold.” So I panicked along with many other New Zealanders when supplies of Marmite ran …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Francisco Macías
It has been frequently said that everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. There may be just a little bit of truth to that. Those of you who have read my posts have probably noticed the recurring themes of Mexico, Spain, and Hispanic America, among others—all with an unorthodox twist. This blog post is not the exception. …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Robert Brammer
The discovery of Richard the III’s remains beneath a Leicester parking lot has spurred interest in Richard and his conqueror, Henry VII. The Battle of Bosworth which resulted in Richard’s demise was not Henry’s first attempt to overthrow Richard. An earlier uprising had been planned for October 18, 1483, but Richard had discovered the plot.[1] …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Today’s pic of the week highlights an item from our collection that finds itself in the spotlight very often, whether as part of a display in one of the Library of Congress’s many fascinating public exhibitions, or as a quasi-sacred book in the swearing-in ceremony of public officials. It is also one of my favorite …
Posted in: Collections, Event, In the News, Law Library, Pic of the Week