Customer Reviews

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Seventeenth Edition)

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This is the standard citation system used by lawyers. Initially it will seem awkward, since it is quite different from the citation systems used in other fields. But once you're used to it, you'll see that it is compact and efficient. For example the tiny cite "471 U.S. 626" is enough to lead the reader directly to a case, both on paper and online, far more efficiently than trying to convey the same information through, say, a MLA citation. (The basic rule for a citation is "Volume number, abbreviated name of the source, page number.")

As a bonus, this is a small book, far more portable than lugging around the behemoth "Chicago Style Guide." The main weakness of this book is that its small size, combined with the goal of being comprehensive, makes it very dense, with few explanations. There seems to be the assumption that you'll first encounter this in law school, with a professor to explain how it works, and the book itself is merely a reference.

This is the best money you'll ever spend on books! BUY THE FOLLOWING: (1) the Bluebook ($16-24), (2) Black's Law Dictionary (paperback, $24-30) (3) Legal Writing in a Nutshell ($28), and (4) "How to Find the Law" or "Finding the Law" ($1-38). For $70-100 you could own most of the law books you'd need to figure your way through most legal issues. One hour of an attorney's time costs more than all these books. This is an investment opportunity of a lifetime. The returns are 100 to 10,000%. Start your legal education by reading "Finding the Law," then work through "Legal Writing in a Nutshell." Look up unknown words in Black's Law Dictionary (note: the legal use of a word might not be the common use) and keep the Bluebook handy forever.

Tragic, yet strangely uplifting, the Blue Book remains a literary classic. Read by all, reviled by all, the Blue Book provides spiritual guidance where all was dark. A real page-turner!