Magill's Legal Guide - 3 Volume set [Library Binding]

Timothy L. Hall (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This set is intended to provide the layperson with practical guidance about what the law is and how it works. It contains 594 essays dealing with civil and criminal law, fundamental legal concepts and procedural matters, legal ethics, careers in the legal and law enforcement fields, business relations, and the impact of law on society.

The signed essays, written by "independent scholars" and college, university, and law school professors, vary in length from 250 to 3,000 words. Each begins with a short definition of the subject, gives historical background information and case examples, and ends with a list of cross-references to related articles. Essays of more than 1,000 words also offer a selected readings section. Some essays are illustrated with black-and-white photographs, charts, or tables. Access is provided by an alphabetical list of all entries, an index, and a list of topics by subject category, wherein all essays are placed in one or more of 34 broad categories including attorneys, constitutional issues, defendants, legal occupations, and punishment. Appendixes include lists of important federal laws, important U.S. Supreme Court cases, bar associations, legal organizations, and federal law enforcement agencies; a filmography; and a glossary.

Similar in appearance and format to the same publisher's American Justice [RBB O 1 96], Magill's Legal Guide is written in simpler prose and does not provide the same depth of information. American Justice, in turn, is not nearly as exhaustive as the more expensive 12-volume West's Encyclopedia of American Law (West, 1998). There is a good deal of subject duplication between the two Salem titles: both cover crimes such as burglary and rape; social issues such as affirmative action and child abuse; procedural matters such as the hearsay rule, jury selection, and the appellate process; and constitutional issues such as freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. Magill's Legal Guide does offer more coverage of everyday legal topics, such as landlord-tenant relations, wills, home buying, and name changes. Many of these areas are well-covered in less-expensive resources, such as The American Bar Association's Family Legal Guide (Times, 1994) and titles from Nolo Press. Nolo's Web site [http://www.nolo.com] offers a free legal encyclopedia that covers these topics in as much depth as Magill's.

Magill's Legal Guide is the latest entry into the crowded "law for laypersons" market. Its primary audience appears to be public libraries. However, it will not be an essential purchase for any library that already has either American Justice or West's Encyclopedia of American Law and a fair helping of other legal self-help titles.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 1080 pages
• Publisher: Salem Press (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893561657
• ISBN-13: 978-0893561659
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 3.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,617,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A music composition major originally in college, I ultimately graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Houston, then attended graduate school in religious studies at Rice University for two years before finally moving on to law school at the University of Texas. I practiced trial law for several years in Austin, Texas before joining the faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1989, where my research and teaching focused on law and religion and legal ethics. Eventually, I became an academic administrator at the University of Mississippi, working for five years as an associate provost. In 2007 my family and I moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, where I became the ninth president of Austin Peay State University. My wife, Lee, and I are high school sweethearts and have been married more than thirty years.