Blackstone's Commentaries: With Notes of Reference to the Constitution and Laws, of the Federal Government of the United States, and of the Commonwealth of Virginia : In Five [Hardcover]

St. George Tucker (Author), William Blackstone (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1886363153 | ISBN-13: 978-1886363151 | Publication Date: September 16, 1996

5 vols. Originally published: Philadelphia: William Young Birch and Abraham Small, 1803. The American Blackstone. A monumental work of continuing relevance,
this reprint edition is prefaced by a new critical introduction
by Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy, Albany Law School
and David Cobin
Professor, Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul Minnesota
Tucker s Blackstone is a key resource for understanding how Americans viewed
English common law in the years following the adoption of the Constitution
and the Bill of Rights. Based on his lectures at the College of William and
Mary, Tucker interprets Blackstone s often antidemocratic viewpoint in an
American context. A strong proponent of the First Amendment, he elaborates
a theory of free speech that is more expansive than in the English tradition.
More recently, Tucker s Blackstone has been cited in numerous constitutional
cases by the U.S. Supreme Court relating to original intent. Reprint of the
rare sole edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tucker's Blackstone became a standard reference work for many American
lawyers unable to consult a law library, especially those on the frontier.
It is impossible to measure its impact on American law, but it is clear
that sales were strongest in Virginia, as could be expected; it was also
widely used in Pennsylvania and South Carolina. --William Hamilton Bryson, The Virginia Law Reporter Before 1800 102

About the Author

Sir William Blackstone [1723 1780], a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford,
was a bencher of the Middle Temple, Vinerian Professor of Law at Oxford, and
a member of Parliament. In 1763 he became solicitor general to the queen and
was knighted in 1770. His Commentaries on the Laws of England [1765 69] is
the most influential publication in the history of Anglo-American law. In its
many editions by Tucker and others it remained the standard legal textbook in
America into the late nineteenth century and was the primary, or only, book
studied by hundreds of self-taught lawyers, such as Abraham Lincoln.

St. George Tucker [1752 1827] was a professor of law at College of
William and Mary. In 1804 he was appointed to the Virginia Court of
Appeals in Richmond.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3298 pages
• Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. (September 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886363153
• ISBN-13: 978-1886363151
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.1 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,225,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, March 24, 2009

By 

Cristel A. Haltom "Buzz" (DE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blackstone's Commentaries: With Notes of Reference to the Constitution and Laws, of the Federal Government of the United States, and of the Commonwealth of Virginia : In Five (Hardcover)

Amazing! The action never stops. Explosions, rescues, intrigue, drama, wverything you would want in a legal treatise is here. Blackstone had it all. This is the "Die Hard" of the legal world. You will not be able to put it down.