The Tribunal: Responses to John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid, skillfully edited by John Stauffer, a Harvard historian, and Zoe Trodd, a professor at the University of Nottingham, allows us to experience firsthand the debate that Brown generated during his lifetime. Reprinted in this bountiful volume are dozens of 19th-century writings--letters, speeches, articles, poems, diary entries--that bring this important debate alive. . . . [The book] demonstrates just how central John Brown was to the cultural and political life of his time. Included in the book are powerful writings about Brown by some of the century's most notable people. . . . Brown's name echoed among thousands of average folk too. . . . There are a few unfortunate omissions in The Tribunal. . . . But, all in all, Mr. Stauffer and Ms. Trodd should be commended for making available so many documents that were formerly hard to find and that reveal so much about this key figure in American history. The Tribunal confirms what has become increasingly clear in recent years: To understand America fully, we would do well to reflect on John Brown--on what he stood for and the ideals he embodied for some of the nation's deepest thinkers.