How long does it take to read Gideon's Trumpet?
Anthony Lewis
Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis takes about 4 hours 48 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 4 hours 48 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1964. 262 pages, about 72,050 words.
10 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 8 hours |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 4 hours 48 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 3 hours |
The page count is the median across 14 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
This is a true story about Clarence Earl Gideon, a semi-literate drifter, who is arrested for breaking into a pool room and for petty theft. When he asks the court to appoint a lawyer for his defense because he cannot afford one, his request is denied. Acting as his own lawyer, Gideon is convicted and sent to jail. While in prison, he begins a hand-written campaign directed to the U.S. Supreme Court, contending that every defendant is entitled to legal representation. The Court agrees to hear Gideon's case, and, in a landmark decision, rules in his favor. Gideon is given a new trial and is found innocent and U.S. legal history is changed forever.
Subjects: Due process of law, Equality before the law, Right to counsel, Trials, litigation, United States, United States. Supreme Court
