Grotius's JBP: 400th Anniversary and New Bibliography

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of Hugo Grotius's De jure belli ac pacis (On the Law of War and Peace) (1625), often considered the most important early modern treatise on international law, which had a profound impact on European (and American) thought. A child prodigy, humanist, lawyer, and statesman from the Dutch Republic, Grotius (1583-1645) shaped the tradition of the 'law of nations' (jus gentium) into a series of secularized doctrines based prominently on natural rights to property. His work provided standards for prosecuting and resolving (often armed) disputes between European nations during their age of expansion, and helped to justify the forms of that expansion, as monarchies and republics conquered and came to control North and South America and significant parts of Southeast Asia. Grotius is also recognized for percolating updated natural law and rights theories throughout northern Europe, and for his influence on the classical liberal political theories of Hobbes, Locke, and many others in the 17th and 18th centuries. With its complex legacy, Grotius's main work is still relevant and consequential today.

In addition to conferences and other events, this anniversary year of the publication will see a new bibliographical census, to be released this summer, recording and describing nearly 1,000 copies of the first nine editions of De jure belli ac pacis (JBP). The census project was begun several years ago by a research team at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law with funding of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. 

The new work records early printed copies of JBP from across the world. In order to complete the major undertaking, the research team crowdsourced information from a wide array of libraries and collections, soliciting information regarding relevant copies of De jure belli ac pacis in their collections. The Riesenfeld Center was also contacted and we submitted information and images for a copy of the 1642 Blaeu edition held in the collections, which contains the names of several early owners. In addition to other later editions, the Center also holds a 1651 copy of JBP formerly owned by the great scholar Hermann Kantorowicz, whose library is largely held at the Law Library.  

The census project not only located many more copies of JBP than were previously known, but identified annotations in about half the books surveyed and identified 510 former owners of the copies, most of whom were active in the 17th century. The new book promises to shed much light on the ownership histories and individual copies of a monumental work of European legal and political thought.  

    - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Riesenfeld Center Awarded for Digital Site

The Law Library’s Riesenfeld Center has recently been honored by an award from the American Association of Law Libraries, in recognition of its spring 2024 digital research collection “Classic Cases: Historical Foundations of First-Year Law School Cases.” The Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section (ALL-SIS) awarded the digital collection the 2025 Digital Publication Award for its significant contribution to legal literature that is born and remains digital. 

The digital site was supervised by Michael Hannon ’98, associate director for access services & digital initiatives, and Ryan Greenwood, curator of rare book and special collections, with the invaluable assistance of law students Rachel Canoun ’24, Mason Medeiros ’22, Loren Olson ’26, Alec Shaw ’19, and Law Library colleagues Joy Brown, Digital Technologist, and Sophia Daley, Archives and Digital Collections Associate.

2025 Morris L. Cohen Student Essay Competition

The Legal History and Rare Books Section (LHRB) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), in cooperation with The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., announces the annual Morris L. Cohen Student Essay Competition. The competition is named in honor of Morris L. Cohen, late Professor Emeritus of Law at Yale Law School. Professor Cohen’s scholarly work was in the fields of legal research, rare books, and historical bibliography.

The purpose of the competition is to encourage scholarship in the areas of legal history, rare law books, and legal archives, and to acquaint students with the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) and law librarianship. Essays may be on any topic related to legal history, rare law books, or legal archives. The competition is open to students currently enrolled in accredited graduate programs in library science, law, history, and related fields. Both full- and part-time students are eligible. Membership in AALL is not required.

The winner will receive a $1000 prize from The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., and will present the essay at an LH&RB-sponsored webinar. The winner and runner-up will have the opportunity to publish their essays in LH&RB’s online scholarly journal Unbound: A Review of Legal History and Rare Books.

For more information about the competition, including the application materials, please see the competition website. The deadline for the essay entries is June 20, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. 

Wednesday, April 16: Celebrate Clarence Darrow's Birthday!

Come out and celebrate Clarence Darrow's birthday with the Law Library, this Wednesday, April 16!  

Pick up cake and donuts in honor of Clarence Darrow (1857-1938), America's legendary defense attorney. Don't forget to take a quiz about Darrow's life and career for prizes, and take a selfie with the legal giant. 

When: Wednesday, April 16, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Law Library lobby

What: Birthday cake, donuts, coffee, tea, and prizes!

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center holds the preeminent collection of letters to and from Darrow, as well as works by and about the great attorney. For more information about Darrow, including some of his most famous cases, please see the Library's award-winning Darrow Digital Collection.

Wednesday, April 2: Rare Books Open House!

Come out to the Riesenfeld Center's monthly rare books open house, this Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.!

Enjoy snacks and drinks, and see treasures from the library's rare books and special collections, including items for Women's History Month and St. Patrick's Day. 

When: Wednesday, April 2, 12 p.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center*

What: Rare books, bagged snacks and treats, candy, and refreshments!

(*The Riesenfeld Center is in N30, on the subplaza past Legal Grounds Cafe and Student Orgs. in N20.)

Wednesday, March 19: Rare Books Open House!

Come out to the Riesenfeld Center's monthly rare books open house, next Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.!

Enjoy snacks and drinks, and see treasures from the library's rare books and special collections, including items for Women's History Month and St. Patrick's Day. 

When: Wednesday, March 19, 12 p.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center*

What: Rare books, bagged snacks and treats, candy, and refreshments!

(*The Riesenfeld Center is in N30, on the subplaza past Legal Grounds Cafe and Student Orgs. in N20.)

New Library Exhibit: The Centennial of the Scopes Trial

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center are pleased to announce a new exhibit commemorating the centennial of the Scopes Trial, drawn from the Center's preeminent Clarence Darrow Collection:

"Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100"

One of our most storied courtroom dramas, the 1925 Scopes Trial became a national sensation and the focal point of a debate over the places of evolution and religion in public education. At trial and on appeal, the defense team aimed to test the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching that humans were the product of Darwinian evolution or similar theories of human descent.  

Popularly known as the Scopes “Monkey” Trial, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes is celebrated not only for the legal and cultural issues it addressed, but the lawyers who were involved. For the prosecution stood William Jennings Bryan, a three-time presidential candidate, fervent anti-evolutionist, and one of the great orators in American history. For the defense was Clarence Darrow, the most famous trial lawyer in the country and a staunch defender of individual rights. The constitutional issues raised by the case were profound, dealing directly with the freedom of religion, free speech, and due process. The trial itself culminated in a famous confrontation between Darrow and Bryan on the witness stand.

The trial did not resolve contemporary tensions between science and fundamentalist religion, but rather thrust them further into the national consciousness. Over the past century, the Scopes Trial has continued to influence public discourse about the teaching of evolution and the role of religion in public schools. For its impacts in the courtroom and classroom, the Scopes Trial remains an fascinating chapter in American legal and cultural history.

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100,” commemorates the centennial of the Scopes Trial, inviting viewers to revisit the trial’s cultural context, as well as its prominent figures, issues, and legacy. The exhibit showcases the University of Minnesota Law Library’s preeminent Clarence Darrow Collection, more than 1,000 letters written by and to the great trial attorney, together with speeches, debates and other material by and about Darrow. Drawn from this collection, the exhibit features letters, books, pamphlets, cultural artifacts, and a trove of court documents from the case. For more, see recent blog posts (here, and here). 

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” was created by curator of rare books and special collections, Ryan Greenwood, archives and digital collections associate, Sophia Charbonneau, digital technology specialist, Joy Brown, and associate director Michael Hannon.