By Andrew Cohen
Thanks to MC Bob Berring’s razor-sharp wit, the annual get-together feting Berkeley Law faculty who published books over the past year is a light-hearted affair. But the work involved in penning this year’s titles clearly required some heavy lifting.
The heaviest—weighing in at 1,128 pages and honored with Berring’s tongue-in-cheek Heavyweight Champion award—is the 3rd edition of Information Privacy Law by Paul Schwartz. It was one of 24 titles honored at the “Author’s Prandium” reception, held January 16 at the Bancroft Hotel.
The books span a wide range of legal topics, and include nonfiction, essays, and casebooks. While Berring took playful jabs at many of them, he didn’t spare himself. International Legal Research in a Nutshell, which he co-authored with Marci Hoffman, won his Lilliputian Award for Tiniest Book.
Most Macho Title
Other humorous honors included the Mickey Rourke Award for most macho title (Holly Doremus for Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics) and the Rolling Stones Award for longevity (Justin Sweet for his 8th edition of Legal Aspects of Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction Process, first published in 1970).
Berring also took aim at the discombobulated state of today’s economy. His Science Fiction Trophy went to Alan Auerbach for Institutional Foundations of Public Finance, and his Where Were You When We Needed You Award to Aaron Edlin for The Economists’ Voice: Top Economists Take on Today’s Problems. “Where are those answers?” Berring implored.
And the Sexiest Title Award Goes To…
In response to receiving the Natalie Portman Award for sexiest title for Il governo della paura (the Italian edition of Governing Through Crime), Jonathan Simon said his title didn’t translate into Italian: “In fact the whole book didn’t translate, so they rewrote it, and I’ve heard it’s much better now.”
The event’s loudest laughs came when Berring honored criminal law professor and prolific author Frank Zimring with the Zimring award, given annually for “most books by Frank Zimring.” He published four titles last year, including The Next Frontier: National Development, Political Change, and the Death Penalty in Asia.
“I think we’ve been doing this for six years and this is the sixth time Frank has come through for us,” Berring said. “Most impressive.”
Zimring co-authored The Next Frontier with University of Hawaii sociology professor David Johnson, his former student in Berkeley Law’s Jurisprudence and Social Policy (JSP) program. In examining the death penalty throughout Asia—where 95 percent of the world’s executions occur—they explore whether Asian values and traditions support capital punishment, and if development and democratization will end executions in the world’s fastest developing region.
Zimring and Johnson dedicated the book to Philip Selznick and Sanford Kadish, who created the JSP program three decades ago. The 32nd book or monograph Zimring has authored since finishing law school in 1967, The Next Frontier argues that politics—not culture or tradition—form the main obstacle to ending capital punishment in Asia.
“This one was a terrific adventure and at my age it’s always nice to break new ground,” he said. “There are fabulous stories waiting to be told, and a great way to do that is by exploiting former students.”
PRANDIUM BOOKS
Here is a list of books and awards presented at this year’s prandium:
Bare Knuckle Division
Ann Coulter Award for Annoyance
Winner: Daniel Farber (Sherry)
Judgment Calls
Oxford University Press
“destined to anger and annoy a politically and methodologically diverse group of constitutional scholars.” Fred Schauer
The Mickey Rourke Award for Most Macho Title
Winner: Holly Doremus
Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics
Island Press
Mixed Martial Arts Award for Pugnacious Scholarship
Winner: Frampton, Lopez and Simon
After the War on Crime: Race, Democracy and a New Reconstruction
NYU Press
“ A lively, smart, combative collection” – David Garland
“gripping, provocative” – Ogletree
Teaching Tool Division
Steven Colbert Award for Most Ironic Book
Winner: Jesse Choper (with a cast of thousands)
Leading Cases in Constitutional Law
“It may seem ironic that the authors of a 1,600 page casebook would turn out a compact casebook of less than 900 pages.”
Casebook Soloist Award
Winner: David Sklansky
Evidence: Cases, Commentary, and Problems, 2d Edition
Winner: David Sklansky
2008 Federal Rules of Evidence and California Evidence Code
New Kid in Town Award
Winner: Phil Frickey (with a cast of thousands)
American Indian Law
Phil defines another field.
The Rolling Stones Award for Longevity
Winner: Justin Sweet
Legal Aspects of Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction Process, 8th Edition
First edition published in 1970
The Heavyweight Champion Award
Winner: Paul Schwartz (with Daniel Solove)
Information Privacy Law
3d Ed. Kluwer1,128pp
The Little Brother Award
Privacy, Information and Technology (with Daniel Solove)
Kluwer, 513pp
The Raymond Carver Award for Best Short Stories
Winner: Rachel Moran
Race Law Stories
“A compelling, thoughtful and timely book” – David Wilkins
Fernando Llamas Award for Most Macho Cover Award
Winner: Henry Hecht
Donna Taylor v. Shape-Up Stores, Inc. – A Damages Case File
Lilliputian Award for Tiniest Book
Hoffman and Berring
International Legal Research in a Nutshell
Non-Violent Division
Where Were You When We Needed You Award
Winner: Aaron Edlin
The Economists’ Voice: Top Economists Take on Today’s Problems
Columbia University Press
“Whats really going on with economy? The world’s leading economists provide the answer.”
Science Fiction Trophy
Winner: Alan J. Auerbach
Institutional Foundations of Public Finance
Harvard Universtiy Press
The Cold Shower Award
Winner: Malcolm Feeley (Rubin)
Federalism: Political Identity & Tragic Compromise
University of Michigan Press
“An insightful examination of federalism stripped of its romance.”
Marshall McCluhan The Medium is the Message Award
Winner: Kathy Abrams (Irene Kacandes)
“Witness,” Special Issue of the Women’s Studies Quarterly
The Feminist Press at CUNY
A volume of essays that include graphics and poetry.
Gold Standard Medal
Winer: Eric Talley (with Arlen and Paige)
Experimental Law and Economics
Edward Elgar
It costs 195 pounds.
Natalie Portman Award for Sexiest Title
Winner: Jonathan Simon
Il governo della paura
Governing Through Crime
Italian edition, Raeffello Cortina Editore
One for the Money, Two for the Show Award
Winner: Ian Haney Lopez
Race, Law and Society
International Library of Essays in Law and Society
Includes a chapter by Leti Volpp
Zimring Award, awarded annually for most books by Frank Zimring
Winner: Frank Zimring
The Great American Crime Decline
The Next Frontier: National Development, Political Change, and the Death Penalty in Asia
A Century of Juvenile Justice (Chinese edition)
The Contradictions of American Capital Punishment (Chinese edition)