The Trials of Laura Fair: Sex, Murder, and Insanity in the Victorian..
Haber, Carole. The Trials of Laura Fair: Sex, Murder, and Insanity in the Victorian West. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, [2013]. First edition. xii, 310 pp. Illustrations. Original black cloth very good, in worn dust jacket. Prior dealer's book sticker to foot of spine. Internally clean and bright. A very good copy. $35. * This book recounts the sensational 1870 San Francisco murder trial of Laura Fair, who shot her lover and was eventually acquitted using a "temporary insanity" defense linked to her menstrual cycle. The narrative follows two trials: the first, where Fair was condemned for her "disreputable" character, and the second, where her defense successfully leveraged Victorian gender stereotypes and medical beliefs to secure a shocking not guilty verdict. The author uses this case to explore the broader reinvention of morality, mental illness and female reputation in the Victorian West, touching on controversial themes like free love, suffrage and the gendered legal system.
Price: $35.00
Book number 86090