Spencer Bower, Turner and Handley : Res Judicata, 3rd Edition

George Spencer Bower was born on October 12, 1854, the son of George Bower from St Neots. He passed away on September 4, 1928, at the age of 73. Educated at Winchester and New College, he maintained a lifelong, fervent loyalty to his school. His academic career at Oxford was notable, earning first-class honors in Classical Schools, the Gaisford Greek Prose, and the Chancellor's English Essay, with classical literature remaining his lifelong passion.

He was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1880 and developed a broad junior practice. Like many barristers, he enjoyed the company of actors and befriended notable theatrical figures such as Sir Henry Irving and Sir Charles Wyndham, marrying Wyndham's daughter in 1885. He became a King's Counsel in 1903, and while his practice at the Bar was not vast, it included prominent cases like the "Osborne Judgment" in 1909, where he was one of the leading counsels for the successful appellant, Osborne. In 1912, he was appointed a Bencher of his Inn, a distinction he highly valued and actively engaged in. He relished the social life among the Benchers, where he was recognized as an authority on classical scholarship.

Spencer Bower is remembered by lawyers for his series of textbooks published in the 1920s, focusing on representations of fact in law. These works are considered classical authorities on their subjects and are notable for their rich literary references, often drawn from his beloved classical authors. It was said that a quote from Horace could lead him into a stream of anecdotes about great advocates and judges, while a legal point from the Courts might prompt him to recite lines from Shakespeare, Homer, or Sophocles (he could recite the entire "Oedipus Tyrannus"). He wished to be remembered as an old-school scholar, deeply familiar with ancient authors through constant engagement. Those who read his works may remember him with this in mind, appreciating him as a contemporary expositor of living law, even nearly 70 years after his death.