Oliver Wendell Holmes served on the U S Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932. He is considered to be one of the most influential judges ever to serve on the court. His wit and concise writing style make his opinions some of the best-written documents to come out of the Supreme Court. Holmes wrote his first book of essays entitled "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table in 1831. While in medical training Holmes was able to write another two essays detailing life as seen from his boarding house breakfast table. The Autocrat at the Breakfast-Table was based on fictionalized breakfast table talk and including poetry, stories, jokes and songs. The essays were collected as a book of the same name in 1858 and sold ten thousand copies in three days. The Professor at the Breakfast-Table was the sequel released in January 1859.