Commentaries on the Laws of England: A Facsimile of the First Edition of 1765-1769, Vol. 1 [Facsimile] [Paperback]

William Blackstone (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226055388 | ISBN-13: 978-0226055381 | Publication Date: November 15, 1979 | Edition: 1

Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769) stands as the first great effort to reduce the English common law to a unified and rational system. Blackstone demonstrated that the English law as a system of justice was comparable to Roman law and the civil law of the Continent. Clearly and elegantly written, the work achieved immediate renown and exerted a powerful influence on legal education in England and in America which was to last into the late nineteenth century. The book is regarded not only as a legal classic but as a literary masterpiece.

Previously available only in an expensive hardcover set, Commentaries on the Laws of England is published here in four separate volumes, each one affordably priced in a paperback edition. These works are facsimiles of the eighteenth-century first edition and are undistorted by later interpolations. Each volume deals with a particular field of law and carries with it an introduction by a leading contemporary scholar.

In his introduction to this first volume, Of the Rights of Persons, Stanley N. Katz presents a brief history of Blackstone's academic and legal career and his purposes in writing the Commentaries. Katz discusses Blackstone's treatment of the structure of the English legal system, his attempts to justify it as the best form of government, and some of the problems he encountered in doing so.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stanley N. Katz is professor of legal history at Princeton University. He has written widely on English and American legal history of the eighteenth century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (November 15, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226055388
• ISBN-13: 978-0226055381
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #604,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Widely Read in the Wild West, June 30, 2000

By 

Steven A. Bell "Even Keel" (Kemp, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Commentaries on the Laws of England: A Facsimile of the First Edition of 1765-1769, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Blackstone was widely read in America for a century after it was published. Lawyers practicing in the West almost relied entirely on this and the Bible to defend or prosecute. This particular series of volumes is a reproduction of the original publication by Blackstone (which BTW had eight revisions while Blackstone was still alive). The print is large and dark (and very 18th century, i.e. ss is S (or f)), and makes for easy reading. The Editor's notes appear at the beginning of the book and are not intrusive of the volume itself. Overall a very nice reproduction and I found it a nice read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required for all law students, April 1, 2006

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Clark_Kent_3000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commentaries on the Laws of England: A Facsimile of the First Edition of 1765-1769, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I am a law student who read this edition of Blackstone's Commentaries for a jurisprudence course, and it was a great experience. Blackstone details the inner logic and principles of the common law and why it stands as an equal among Greek, Roman, and civil law. He also systematically details the logic and basis for the law of civil rights, property, civil procedure, and criminal law in England. These sections provided me with a much better understanding of the origin and rationality behind our system of law.

In addition he also explains the historical origins of the common law and the political structure of England's government at the time just before our nation's independence and why it had been superior, at that time, to any other form of government in all of Europe in the securing and preservation of human liberty. I highly recommend at least volume I to law students and even to any reader interested in better understanding the origins of our government. His explanations in particular will give you a much better understanding of how English government functioned and how our government distinguished itself in substantial ways from England.

Any scholar, student, or avid reader of political science, law, or history will benefit and enjoy this great literary work.

Ignore the earlier critique of the font, the facsimile of the first edition really transports you back in time and the font is not that difficult to navigate. The only real difference is "f" is used in place of "s" everywhere but in the last letter of words ("greateft" "fortrefs" "fubject" etc.). Generally it's very clear when the "f" is an "s" although there are a few confusing exceptions (e.g. "wife" is "wise" as in the "wife laws of England..."). The first edition included footnotes where Blackstone cited English, Latin, and Roman works and these are reproduced here as well.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wish there was another version, January 6, 2008

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Booyah (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commentaries on the Laws of England: A Facsimile of the First Edition of 1765-1769, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The forward thinks it's a great thing that every page is a facsimile of the original version. But the novelty of that wears off after the first page. The old font, old printing press, and above all the substitution of the letter "f" for the letter "s" inside a word turns an otherwise fine book into a needlessly annoying read. Example from p. 74, "each diftrict mutually facrificing fome of its own fpecial ufages." I happen to think that the last 2 1/2 centuries of advancements in printing technology were not superfluous.

I also think it's important for lawyers to know Latin terms that are used in the legal sense (though too often in my opinion). But several times you come across 3 to 4 consecutive sentences of Latin that few people will take the time to translate word by word. I would have appreciated a few well-placed footnotes with the Latin to English translation.

I'm still trying to find an edited version of this book. It's English after all, it's not like words would be changed. I just want a readable font and the "f"s changed back to "s"s.