Customer Reviews

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wouldn't say that the Blue Book is deserving of undying praise, but if you are a law student, a practitioner, or are writing articles for legal publications, you need the latest edition of this book. It sets the standard for citation styles in practitioners' documents and legal publications.

There are reasons, though, that there are several "guides to the Bluebook" in publication. The official Bluebook is only helpful once one has gone through the struggle of becoming familiar with the organization of the book and the style elements that it addresses. Countless times my classmates and I received corrected first year legal writing assignments with "see Bluebook, rule x.xx" written all over. The Bluebook is not written for 1Ls, but every 1L must learn it.

Once you've learned the Bluebook, you find that it's got everything you need. But compared to, say, the American Psychological Association's publications guide, it's agonizing to read.

Some of the 17th edition's changes are, I think, a little odd, see, e.g., Gil Grantmore, The Death of Contra, 52 Stan. L. Rev. 889 (Farber and Chen writing pseudonymously), but that doesn't affect the fact that you need this book if you write in the legal field.

Even so, when I have my copy of the 17th edition, I'll be happy to burn my copy of the 16th edition. On the other hand, maybe I'll keep it as a historic artifact of the days when you could still cite an article as directly contrary to a proposition in the text.

Who dares to dispute the importance of the Bluebook? Whether you are a 1L just learning how to navigate its thicket of caselaw abbreviation or a 12th degree master of jurisprudence at ease citing a microformed Congressional hearing from 1964, it shall forever occupy a sacred place among your reference materials. Succinctly put, it is "the" source for all legal citation.

Having been sent on a business trip to a far-away state in the Midwest, I found myself writing case abstracts during the evening hours. Suddenly, I realized I had forgotten my Bluebook. I sat stunned, a cold shiver running down my spine. Although I was pretty sure I knew all the required forms of citation, pretty sure is not considered a viable method within the legal community. I contacted my wife who shipped me my treasured Bluebook by overnight carrier that evening. The wisdom of my investment in additional shipping soon became apparent . . . one of my cites was incorrect (and, believe it or not, I could have sworn it was right!)

Fighting the Bluebook is akin to fighting the aging process - you may win a small skirmish here and there, but you will undoubtedly be defeated in battle. And what a crushing defeat it will be (most likely with numerous witnesses to attest to your skillful tap-dancing all the way up to your demise). Humorous commentary aside, inaccurate citation is deemed by some in the profession as purposeful misrepresentation, outright lying, or worse. This, of course, can lead to disastrous consequences in the form of stinging rebukes, humble apologies, and formal court-imposed sanctions. Don't put yourself in such a position - learn to live and love this book. It will serve you well now and far into the future.

The Bluebook is THE definitive legal citation guide. You cannot be a law student--never mind a lawyer--without knowing it inside and out. As for those who complain about its accessibility--it is true that it doesn't have every single possible example; that's impossible. But on the whole, the Bluebook is very user-friendly and remarkably clear given its comprehensiveness. Note that the 17th Edition will be coming out in July 2000, and will contain NEW RULES!

I'm not a lawyer, but I really enjoyed this little gem. What's great about the Bluebook is that it's small enough to keep on top of your toilet yet so voluminous in its rules and regulations that it'll keep you turning pages for weeks. I especially liked rule 18.4.1 entitled "Microform Collections Reproducing Preexisting Materials". I mean really, who knew? Get the book and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

For those of you who enjoy reading shampoo bottles, electric appliance instruction manuals, almanacs, or even raw computer code, I highly recommend this book!

I'm weary of the Bluebook.

I am a teacher of legal research and writing--I've been using and teaching the Bluebook for over 10 years. Other than teachers like me, who have to use it, I think the only people who actually use the current Bluebook are law review and journal editors at law schools. That's about it. Everyone else tries to get their citation form right without having to consult the Bluebook. Why?

It's a nightmare to use. Exceptions are presented as rules, with the rule buried where you'd expect an exception. The examples are often baffling, and you must puzzle out how they reflect the rule they are supposedly an example of. And can someone tell me why we need TWO typeface conventions--one for practitioner documents and one for law reviews? Surely those differences began when practitioners used typewriters and law reviews were professionally printed. But it's 2002! We all have word processors now.

(This review refers to the 17th edition published in 2000).

This obsessive, arcane book is an example of everything that is wrong with legal scholarship. Other disciplines have simple, easy-to-understand citation systems, but not law. Someone should do an analysis of the people who have worked on this book to see how many of them have gone mad.

First, in response to the common complaint about the Blue Book that it is not user-friendly and confusing: As is the case with ALWD, and any other citation manual, the more you use it, the easier it is to understand and use. Also, may I suggest getting those fantastic flags that you have to use in order to get through law school and tabbing your Blue Book. This makes it even easier to refer to.

That said, I just checked out the 18th Edition, and it is super. There are new tables and sections that are easy to refer to, and local court rules of citation are also provided. Fantastic! Also, the cover is much more durable, which allows you to fling it across the room in fury, as I know we are all prone to do at one point or another. Would that West's Reporter's were quite so flinger-friendly.

Finally, in response to the previous comment that practitioners get legal citation right without the assistance of the Blue Book, I have to say, not really. I'm a law clerk, and it's shameful how many incorrect citations I see on a daily basis in briefs to the court. This may sound nit-picky, but if you can't even get your citations right, it detracts from your argument and makes you seem that much less credible. If you and your client are spending this much time and capital to come before the court, shouldn't your advocacy be as flawless as possible?

Also, I'm not a law review editor, and I've never published in a law journal, but I use Blue Book every day, and I have been using Blue Book consistently since my first year of law school.

As a current 1L, I know the importance of the Bluebook. After all, we little law students would be lost without the book's citation wisdom.

HOWEVER...we also need help interpreting this mess. If the people who wrote this were somewhat organized, the book would not need clarification. Seriously, we as students have our tutors hand out cheat sheets expalining what the Bluebook is really saying.

Also, the book is woefully out of date. Electronic sources have flourished while the Bluebook has withered on the vine. There are no references to current online databases, e-mail, or other web-based sources.

So, please, rewrite the book in layman's English and update it for the dawn of the 21st century.

Anyone doing any legal writing -- for school, for publication, or for court -- should have a copy of this book by their side. And they probably already do. Why? Because, for better or worse, this book is considered the One True authoritative reference on legal citation. And you will be expected to follow its dictates.

I am a paralegal student and have to say this made citing a bit easier. It isn't the simplst book in the world to read, but for a beginner it is good. Just take it one step at a time and it will come to you. I was more confused by my text book for class than by this. This book makes sense to me - maybe not to everyone. Each person has a "way" of doing things and for some the book works for others it is a computer program. Etiher way with time this book does work - it just depends what you make of it. Again my text book for class only confused me and after reading 200 pages in the chapter for school I didn't know which end was up. Then someone told me aobut this book and boy did it ever come in handy! Finally I understood! Take a breath and give it a shot! It is worth it!