Schmidt collection

Schmidt collection

490 books →List of books (Borrowing not allowed/photocopying permitted)

Schmidt was born in Brandenburg’s Jüterbog area in 1891 and died in Heidelberg in 1977. He earned his degree in 1914 under Professor Franz von Loszt of Berlin University, who was a representative researcher of criminal law from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century. He qualified as a professor in 1920, and became a professor at the University of Breslau in 1921. Later, he held successive positions as a professor at Keele University, the University of Hamburg, the University of Leipzig and the University of Gottingen. Schmidt became a professor at Heidelberg University 1948, where he served until he retired.
Much of his early work was in criminal law, and included a revision of Loszt’s Textbook of German Criminal Law. However, he gradually moved into research in the field of criminal procedure law and wrote An Introduction to the History of German Criminal Justice Law (1947) and Criminal Procedure Law and the Court of Justice Statute Commentary (1952-60), both of which were major works of his. The former is highly recognized in particular as a standard work. While its view of the medieval inquisitorial system as cruel has lately been criticized, the book is not simply a historical account; rather, it is also a criticism and academic embodiment, through historical research, of the illegal and violent criminal trials carried out by the Nazi regime. Such an insight may have only been possible through historical research, and has an appeal that transcends the scope of such studies.
The Schmidt collection reflects these historical studies, and includes books written before the 18th century. One of its features is its wide range of literature on criminal law and procedure in France, Italy and the U.K. These books reflect Professor Schmidt’s positive method of accumulating facts.

Eberhard Schmidt
1891 – 1977