Compulsion
Publication: 1957
Levin's novel was based on the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case. Psychiatric experts played a large part in the young men's avoidance of the electric chair, as it had in the trial of Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President Garfield in 1881 and in the defense of Harry Thaw in the 1906 Stanford White case. Loeb was killed in prison, but Leopold was paroled, after which he unsuccessfully sued Levin for defamation of character.
Title
Compulsion
Date
Publication: 1957
Description
Levin's novel was based on the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case. Psychiatric experts played a large part in the young men's avoidance of the electric chair, as it had in the trial of Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President Garfield in 1881 and in the defense of Harry Thaw in the 1906 Stanford White case. Loeb was killed in prison, but Leopold was paroled, after which he unsuccessfully sued Levin for defamation of character.
Rights
Copyright; use considered fair according to the ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use
Format
Paperbacks
Books
Source
MSS0412, James G. Stahlman Historical Autograph Collection, Leopold, Nathan folder
Files
Citation
“Compulsion,” Gallery, accessed September 15, 2026, https://gallery.library.vanderbilt.edu/items/show/755.