In the Spotlight

Leopold & Loeb Collections Now Featured Online

The Library has just released a new online exhibit based on the recent exhibit "The Murder That Wouldn't Die: Leopold & Loeb in Artifact, Fact, and Fiction." Like the original exhibit, the online version highlights the Library's extraordinary collection of original documentary evidence from the infamous murder case, including Leopold & Loeb's confessions, the ransom notes they sent to their victim's family, the psychiatric reports on both of them that were commissioned by defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and the 5,000-page courtroom transcript.

The online exhibit's multimedia format provides a convenient and engaging way to explore the highlights of these and other artifacts. Visitors can browse through topic headings to learn more, for example, about the murder, the psychiatric reports, or the aftermath of the court verdict, and view selected photos or documents related to these topics. Links on the exhibit's home page access an audio tour recorded by curator Nina Barrett for the original exhibit and a clip of Northwestern University Law School professor and author Leigh Bienen talking about why the case continues to rate as one of the most fascinating crimes of the twentieth century.

The online exhibit also features many of the books, films, and theatrical productions that have been based on the Leopold & Loeb case, including Simon Baatz's recent book For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder that Shocked Chicago and Alfred Hitchcock's now-classic 1948 film "Rope."

Many of the Northwestern materials were donated to its McCormick Library of Special Collections by Chicago attorney Elmer Gertz, who represented Nathan Leopold in his successful 1958 bid for parole. Other materials are part of the University Archives collections.