Customer Reviews

Black's Law Dictionary, Eighth Edition (Black's Law Dictionary (Standard Edition))

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to preface my review with a caveat: Black's is indispensible and if you're reading this, you need it. Also, I haven't looked through it extensively and so don't purport to rate this edition over the last one, just this deluxe version.

Having said that, I can't recommend this particular version with cheap-ish vinyl/leatherette cover and thumb indexing.

I just bought this deluxe version a few days ago for my sister who is going to enter law school in the fall. I decided that though the regular 7th version has served me well, she deserves the best. While this is surely the best, it is certainly not worth $40+ more than the regular version.

I feel like this $100 book will look like a pretty weak stand-alone present for her now that I've taken a close look at it; it's just a little underwhelming.

The cover, whatever it is, looks a little cheap and scratches and indents very easily. It already looks used and did not come sealed.

The binding and overall workmanship seems to be on par with the regular edition I looked at (and the one I own), which is to say mediocre.

The thumb indexing is a plus, and I guess that some people could desire that option enough to warrant the higher price.

Also, the paper is of noticeably higher quality, more like a nice library quality Webster's than a regular book. But I never noticed that the paper in my previous edition was lacking until Barrister Books told me.

The only other noteworthy thing about this particular version is the double take the cashier did when the price came up.

Really, I don't think you can justify that jump in price, if they could do something special for an additional $40-50 (i.e. leather, better binding, jewel encrusted carrying case) it would be worth looking into. There is a deluxe edition in a slipcase for $30 more, but there is no picture of it online and my school's bookstore didn't stock it and I'm sure it is the same book otherwise.

Al in all, a great reference with a marginal upgrade.

Black's Law Dictionary continues as the preeminent legal dictionary in its eighth and latest edition and is a must have for even the smallest law library. The black hardcover replaces the not so aesthetically pleasing red cover in the seventh edition.

The U.S. Supreme Court cited to Black's Law Dictionary in 10 of the 82 opinions it issued during the 2003-2004 session and the Minnesota Supreme Court has cited to Black's Law Dictionary in 31 opinions since 2000.

Some of the new terms in the updated eighth edition include "cyberpiracy," "cyberterrorism," "chad," "ethnic cleansing," and "grandparent rights." Earlier editions had omitted some commonplace terms such as "sidebar comment" and "senatorial courtesy."

Editor in Chief Bryan A. Garner, who also authored A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage and The Elements of Legal Style, has been praised by the ABA Appellate Practice Journal as "the preeminent expert in America on good legal writing" and received the prestigious 1994 Henry C. Lind Award by the Association of Reporters of Judicial Decisions. Garner also received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Michigan and heads Law Prose Inc., a continuing legal education group that trains judges and attorneys in legal writing and drafting. Black's Law Dictionary is not only an excellent reference book, but it is also an effective and persuasive authority to cite in briefs.

The latest edition continues the high standard set by Henry Campbell Black, an English legal scholar who authored treatises on topics from contracts to liquor laws, who compiled the first edition of Black's Law Dictionary in 1891.

As 1L's this Law Dictionary should be one of your first purchases.As you read through your casebooks,you will be learning the language and the logic of the law.As you encounter an unfamiliar word in your textbook,write down a definition in the margin.The more you use it,the more the language of the law will become familiar to you..It will serve you for many years thereafter and you can keep up on the newest legal words with newer revisions of the Dictionary..Arcane or indispensible,this is definitely not a paperweight;it is a valuable tool to be used by law student,lawyer,paralegal,businessperson,court reporter,journalist,and others interested in the law..

I bought this dictionary along with the pocket version for school. Although I do agree with the prior rating that the cover could be slightly nicer, I am happy with my purchase. My cover has not scratched nor bent. I find the tabs very helpful.
The book looks very nice on my bookshelf, and the other hardbacks that I have viewed are not much cheaper. If you are looking to save money, buy the pocket edition. But, if you are going to spend the money for a hardback, I would suggest something that is not only useful but looks nice as well.

I am a translator and my mother tongue is Spanish. I find this dictionary extremely useful for the translation of legal terms. Often there is not a direct equivalence, or the nuances of terms are not very clear to someone with no legal experience who thinks in Spanish, but those difficulties can be overcome with Black's. A purchase that is worth much more than its price.

I am a 1L in my second semester and bought this a week into my first semester. Sure you can see all the defintions online these days at Westlaw, but there is a reason that textbooks aren't digital. Sometimes you just have to read it for real to understand it. This book contains every term you could possibly ever need to know. It also has relevant hypotheticals to explain terms, more than likely in a relevant situation to what you are trying to learn. I know that I use it everyday, and more likely than not you will too.
My only problem with the book is that it does not contain the "tabs" that a normal dictionary would, seperating each letter. I am sure that the editors assume that as law students we should be able to predict where each first letter will appear in realtion to the size of the text, but still, it would be much nicer than flipping through when the only thing you want to know is what "parol" means.

Black's Law Dictionary is indispensable for any aspiring attorney or jurist. This is the deluxe edition, and it costs me a hefty $100. The thumb-index is a plus, and is certainly a convenient time-saver. If you're a law student and aspiring to be an attorney, it seems only practical to get a law dictionary for the ages-and getting alphabetical thumb-index certainly makes this edition worthwhile. Odds are you won't need to buy any future edition as legal principles are relatively fixed in place, so why not just get the top of the line standard bearer from the beginning? At over 1000 pages, Black's Law Dictionary packs a punch and rarely lives one unable to find a defintion. Black's is renowned for its precise denotations of legal terms-with ample depth and clarity given to the subsidiary terms that other legal dictionaries leave out.

"Black's Law Dictionary" is the premier legal reference book in publication today. All the commonly used legal terminology is contained therein. All those little Latin phrases that are utilized by attorneys are translated and elucidated. Any person that is involved in the legal system in any way will find the book indispensable.

Many times people can be judged by their grasp of legal lingo. Black's Dictionary makes you an expert in 'legal-speak.' In addition, when interpreting contracts or legal transcripts those often used but archaic legal terms are all in the book.

"Black's Law Dictionary" is recommended for attorneys and non-attorneys as the ultimate legal terminology reference book. Any one who deals with the legal system in any way should have it in their reference library.

This edition has over 40T entries for legal research scholars.
The volume is written in simple English. It is well organized.
A number of fairly complex definitions are listed. Sample entries are:
o obiter- by the way
o particularity- detailed statement of particulars
o manifestly against the weight of evidence

The book is an excellent value for the price charged. It will
assist lawyers, legal students, scholars and the judiciary.

This is the most prominent legal dictionary. However, I must recommend against buying. This is especially for first year law students who hear it quoted a lot their first few weeks and think it is a necessity for law school. It's not. You don't need it. You can access it for free on LexisNexis save your money for study guides which you DO need.