2 h 41 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 66 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 66 pagesAbout this book
What happens when a desperate act of love meets a law that sees only the crime?
In John Galsworthy’s four-act play Justice, William Falder changes a number on a cheque. The young solicitor’s clerk wants to help Ruth Honeywill escape her violent husband. Inside the respectable office of James and Walter How, his forgery sets honesty, loyalty and pity against one another.
The drama moves from the office to the courtroom and behind prison walls. Frome, the defence barrister, asks the jury to see Falder’s desperation; Cleaver presents a deliberate breach of trust. As officials follow their duties, Galsworthy asks how decent people can uphold rules that cause suffering—and whether fairness leaves room for mercy.
What you’ll discover
- A cheque changes everything Enter an orderly solicitor’s office where one altered number exposes the strain beneath respectability.
- The man behind the charge Meet a nervous young clerk whose wrongdoing grows from pity, love and a desperate wish to help.
- Two arguments in court Hear opposing barristers weigh the same act, drawing your attention between personal crisis and broken trust.
- The silence of prison Follow the drama behind prison walls, where routine and long, silent hours reveal punishment’s human cost.
- Kindness within rigid rules Encounter Cokeson’s concern and a governor whose good intentions leave little room to ease one man’s fear.
Who will love it
For readers who love moral questions, courtroom scenes and plays that stay in the mind. It suits anyone curious about crime and punishment, law and mercy.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A clerk, a cheque and a changed number
- Falder's reason is a woman in danger
- The courtroom weighs the act, not the man
- Prison closes in on a nervous man
- What the play says about law and mercy
- How Galsworthy builds the drama
Who’s who
- William FalderA young, nervous junior clerk in a solicitors' office who commits a forgery out of pity and love, and then faces the law.
- Ruth HoneywillA frightened mother of two, trapped in a violent marriage, who wants to escape her husband and never meant Falder to suffer for her.
- CokesonThe managing clerk, a fussy and kindly man who takes pride in the firm and truly cares for Falder.
- James HowThe elder partner of the firm, a respectable solicitor who believes strongly in honesty, order and the good name of his business.
- Walter HowJames How's son and fellow partner, who treats the forgery as a plain breach of trust.
- FromeThe defence barrister, who pleads for Falder by asking the jury to see the crisis of feeling behind the act.
- CleaverThe prosecuting barrister, who presents the forgery as a deliberate theft by a trusted employee.
- The GovernorThe prison governor, a decent official bound by rules that leave him little room to help one frightened man.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 2 h 41 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 66 pages: USD 6.95 when you start free, USD 12.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 66 pages: USD 13.95 when you start free, USD 19.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Justice in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Justice
by John Galsworthy · 1910
A young clerk alters a cheque to help a woman he loves, and the machinery of law takes hold of him.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A clerk, a cheque and a changed number
The play opens in the London office of James and Walter How, a firm of solicitors. The place is orderly, dusty and respectable. The managing clerk is Cokeson, a fussy, kindly man who runs the junior staff and takes pride in the firm's good name. Among the juniors is William Falder, a quiet young man with a nervous manner.
A problem comes to light. A cheque made out by the firm for nine pounds has been paid at the bank for ninety. Someone has altered the figures. Cokeson is troubled by this, partly because he likes Falder and partly because he fears what the partners will say. The discovery spreads through the office in small, tense exchanges.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Justice
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 12.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 6.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the play Justice by John Galsworthy about?
It follows William Falder, a young solicitor's clerk who forges a cheque to help a woman in a violent marriage. The play shows his trial and his time in prison, and asks whether the law can be fair and merciful at once.
When was Justice by Galsworthy written and first performed?
Galsworthy wrote Justice in 1910, and it was first staged in London that year. It is a work of fiction, though it draws on real concerns of the time about prisons and punishment.
Did Justice change prison law in Britain?
It is often said that the play, especially its scene of solitary confinement, helped shape public debate about prison conditions at the time. Reforms to the use of solitary confinement followed soon after, though many factors played a part.
The author
John Galsworthy
1867–1933 · English novelist and playwright
John Galsworthy was an English novelist and playwright born in Surrey in 1867. He lived in England and died in London in 1933. He wrote The Country House, published in 1907, and the play Justice, first performed in 1910. The Forsyte Saga appeared as a collected volume in 1922.
More by John Galsworthy
All 4 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in poetry and plays
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
