Historical Introduction to Anglo-American Law in a Nutshell

Nutshell Series

by Frederick G. Kempin Jr.

Table of ContentsPart The Background of The Common Law1. What Legal History is About2. The Courts3. The Jury, and Other Means of Finding Facts4. The Bench and BarPart Sources of Law5. Custom and Cases 6. Legislation and Codification 7. Doctrinal WritingsPart The Common Law in Action8. Real Property9. Torts10. ContractsPart The Common Law Codified11. The Law and Action and Reaction12. Negotiable Instruments13. Business OrganizationsFirst edition published 1963 as Legal Law and Social Change.Second edition published 1973 under present title.Third edition published 1990.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice little intro to the basic elements of our legal system. The more purely historical sections were quite interesting to read (the pre-Norman Conquest legal system & the vestiges of it that still endure; the evolution of torts and the subsequent development of the law of contracts; the changes in the role & form of courts), and a couple of the more substantive chapters were both informative and enjoyable (torts, contracts). The chapter on property I found a bit less clearly-written, but that's probably at least as much my fault (I don't really care about that area of law).

I think this would make an *excellent* brief intro for anybody who just wants to have a good base-line knowledge of the major areas of law. Undergrads in the humanities or social sciences could read this with great profit, and it'd be excellent for a grad student studying something other than law (poli sci, history, sociology, whatever). 9 out of 10 for clarity of the prose, 8 out of 10 for thematic coherence and scope. I'll be keeping it because there are some nice nuggets that I'll want to be able to look up quickly at some point.