Customer Reviews

Introduction to English Legal History

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

 

 

I don't understand the other reviewer's rating for this book. Even if he got the first edition by mistake rather than the 4th, it too was astonishingly good and deserved 5 stars. Frankly, this is the only comprehensive single volume history of the English common law that is fully up-to-date. Professor Baker is incredibly skilled at summarizing a complex or controversial matter in a paragraph or a page (which for students does require close reading). His writing is clear and easy to comprehend. The sourcebook that he and Professor Milsom edited is a valuable supplement to this text, but not required. Some lawyers really like Plucknett's Concise History of the Common Law, which is very good, but it's 50 years out of date.

The information above suggests that this book is the 4th ed. from 2002. As of this writing, there's one used copy available. Note that the bookseller says that one was printed in 1971. That would make this the 1st ed. The new version of this book is available elsewhere on Amazon.