American Indian Law in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series) (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) [Paperback]

William C. Canby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1996 | ISBN-10: 0314226370 | ISBN-13: 978-0314226372 | Edition: 2nd

Historical Overview of Federal Indian Law and Policy; Special Relationship Between the Federal Government and the Tribes; Indian Tribal Governments; Indian Tribal Sovereignty; Indian Treaties; Criminal and Civil Jurisdiction in Indian Country; Public Law 280: A Federal Grant of Jurisdiction to the States; Taxation and Regulation in Indian Country; Individual Rights and Indian Law; Indian Lands; Indian Water Rights; Indian Hunting and Fishing Rights.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arizona State University

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: West Group Publishing; 2nd edition (1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0314226370
• ISBN-13: 978-0314226372
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,118,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best introductory summary of the subject matter., October 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: American Indian Law in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series) (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) (Paperback)

I teach federal Indian law to undergraduate and graduate students. This book by Judge Canby is our primary text, supplemented by a 500-page course reader. Although federal Indian law is the most complex body of law in the U.S. legal system, the Canby book gives scholars and novices alike a good educational and reference work on the multitude of subjects that are covered. I recommend it as a 1st source for anyone interested in federal Indian law.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Indian Law in a Nutshell, September 13, 2000

By 

Gina Wernimont (Ames, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Indian Law in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series) (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) (Paperback)

I am currently designing an American Indian Law college course for an assignment at Iowa State University. This text has been extremly useful. It is a dense, informative, must-have for anyone going into or interested in American Indian Law, politics, federal law, historical law or American law. Canby presents legal facts with the historical and current American setiment of the American Indian. He also includes effects on and the general reactions of American Indians to laws past and present, politics are not excluded.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Place to Start to Understand Indian Law, August 9, 2006

By 

C.M. "clairette" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Indian Law in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) (Paperback)

Although I understand the earlier reviewer's concern regarding anti-discrimination law and how miserable law school can be, I have found this book to be the best possible introduction to Indian Law. My law school offered no Indian Law class, and wanting to learn more after I read about the Cobell case, I needed a concise book. Canby has done a wonderful job. His historical introduction is a quick and engrossing read, and the other chapters in the book are equally clear and concise. I owe him much, given that I wrote two papers on Indian Law in law school and quoted extensively from him. Yes, Indian Law is a complex field where tribal sovereignty and the government's trust responsibility often collide and where concepts of jurisdiction and property are seriously muddled, but Canby gives you just what you need to get your legs under you, understand the basic concepts, and know where to begin to research from there.

If the Indian Law bug bites you after reading this book, which it likely will, then you can move on to the 2005 edition of Felix Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law or the 2005 Clinton, Goldberg and Tsosie American Indian Law manual - and spend the big bucks!