Herbert Vere Evatt, famous Australian lawyer, politician, and intellectual, was one of the key Australian public figures of the twentieth century. Peter Crockett examines Evatt's character by drawing on his childhood influences and on the recollections of his contemporaries. He traces the play of character on public life and analyzes Evatt's politics with reference to his intense, mercurial personality and idiosyncrasies. He shows a man driven to wield power not only to right injustices and advance Australia's interests with great foresight, but also to satisfy his own psychological imperatives.