Witch Hunt in Wise County - by Gary D Best (Hardcover)

About the Book

The southwest Virginia murder trials of a young schoolteacher named Edith Maxwell made her a cause celebre of the 1930s. No newspaper reader or radio listener could avoid hearing of her case in 1935 or 1936, and few magazines neglected to run at least one story on the case. In the media attention that it received, the Maxwell case rivaled the Scopes monkey trial of the 1920s, and for some it seemed to involve many of the same sociological issues--the conflict between modernism and tradition, between urban and rural values, between the sexes, and between generations. Feminist organizations like the National Women's Party and other women's business and professional organizations rallied to Edith's defense because women were not allowed on criminal juries in Virginia in the 1930s.

Book Synopsis

The southwest Virginia murder trials of a young schoolteacher named Edith Maxwell made her a cause celebre of the 1930s. No newspaper reader or radio listener could avoid hearing of her case in 1935 or 1936, and few magazines neglected to run at least one story on the case. In the media attention that it received, the Maxwell case rivaled the Scopes monkey trial of the 1920s, and for some it seemed to involve many of the same sociological issues--the conflict between modernism and tradition, between urban and rural values, between the sexes, and between generations. Feminist organizations like the National Women's Party and other women's business and professional organizations rallied to Edith's defense because women were not allowed on criminal juries in Virginia in the 1930s.

Review Quotes

.,."a colourful and fascinating narrative of a story once so explosive that it even captured the attention of the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Readers interested in women's history, the relationship between the media and the justice system, and the clash between modernity and tradition will find this book both engrossing and informative."-Canadian Journal of History

.,."Best should be commended for piecing together the story of a woman abused by a corrupt legal system as well as by a brutual father. This is a valuable historical account of patriarchy in action."-The Journal of American History

?...a colourful and fascinating narrative of a story once so explosive that it even captured the attention of the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Readers interested in women's history, the relationship between the media and the justice system, and the clash between modernity and tradition will find this book both engrossing and informative.?-Canadian Journal of History

?...Best should be commended for piecing together the story of a woman abused by a corrupt legal system as well as by a brutual father. This is a valuable historical account of patriarchy in action.?-The Journal of American History

..."Best should be commended for piecing together the story of a woman abused by a corrupt legal system as well as by a brutual father. This is a valuable historical account of patriarchy in action."-The Journal of American History

..."a colourful and fascinating narrative of a story once so explosive that it even captured the attention of the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Readers interested in women's history, the relationship between the media and the justice system, and the clash between modernity and tradition will find this book both engrossing and informative."-Canadian Journal of History

About the Author

GARY DEAN BEST is Professor of History at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He is the author of The Politics of American Individualism (Greenwood, 1975), To Free A People (Greenwood, 1982), Pride, Prejudice, and Politics (Praeger, 1991), FDR and the Bonus Marchers, 1933-1935 (Praeger, 1992), The Critical Press and The New Deal (Praeger, 1993), Nickel and Dime Decade (Praeger, 1993), as well as numerous essays for scholarly books and journals. He has held fellowships from the American Historical Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities and was a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, 1974-75