How does talent affect the human psyche? Is there any connection between genius and mental illness? Is genius a gift or a disease? You will find the answers to these questions in the book “Genius and Insanity” by the outstanding Italian psychiatrist and criminologist Cesare Lombroso (1835 – 1909), which remains a bestseller since 1863. Having devoted his life to studying the nature of madness and the psychology of a criminal, the author traced the connection between genius and mental anomalies that are revealed under the pressure of environmental conditions. Lombroso diagnoses Aristotle, Rousseau, Hoffmann, Schopenhauer, Mozart, Van Gogh, Gogol, Newton, Goethe and other great people, pointing out the observable similarity in them.

First published in the early 20th century, the book retains its uniqueness a century on. Its author, the famous Russian lawyer Pyotr Porokhovshchikov (1867 – 1954), had his works published under the pen-name P. Sergeich. He was the author of a plethora of works on judicial eloquence and criminal defence, it was he who translated Hints on Advocacy  by Richard Harris. But The Art of Arguments in Court is his main work. A barrister, and, incidentally, any lawyer in general, becomes an orator in court. And the book teaches accuracy and simplicity of speech and eloquence, rhetoric expression and the ways to look for truth. Its content is rich in observations and examples, and the design will satisfy any esthete.