Anatomy of a Murder.

TRAVER, Robert [John D. Voelker].

Item Number: 136168

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1959.

First edition, early printing of this classic work, basis for the film produced and directed by Otto Preminger, starring James Stewart and Lee Remick. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Bob Thomas, who knows how easy books are to write.. with best wishes Robert Traver (John Volker) On location Marquette April 10, 1959. ” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Frank Darling. Uncommon signed and inscribed.

First published by St. Martin's in 1958, Robert Traver's Anatomy of a Murder immediately became the number-one bestseller in America, and was subsequently turned into the successful and now classic Otto Preminger film. It is is not only the most popular courtroom drama in American fiction, but one of the most popular novels of our time. Anatomy of a Murder is based on a real murder (and subsequent trial) that occurred in Big Bay in the early morning of July 31, 1952. Coleman A. Peterson, a lieutenant in the Army, was charged with murdering Maurice Chenoweth. The alleged motive was revenge for the rape of Peterson's wife by Chenoweth. Voelker successfully defended Peterson, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Other books by Voelker were based on other legal cases in the Upper Peninsula or his love of fly fishing for brook trout. He authored over 100 opinions during his short tenure on the Michigan Supreme Court, the most famous of which was in a case called People v. Hildabridle involving a naturist community near Battle Creek.