FREEDOM AND THE LAW (Paperback)

~ BRUNO LEONI (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The greatest obstacle to rule of law in our time, contends the author of this thought-provoking work, is the problem of overlegislation. In modern democratic societies, legislative bodies are increasingly usurping functions that were and should be exercised by individuals or groups rather than government. The result is an unwieldy surfeit of laws and regulations that by their sheer volume stifle individual freedom.

About the Author

Bruno Leoni (1913-1967) was an attorney and Professor of Legal Theory and the Theory of the State at the University of Pavia, Italy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Liberty Fund Inc.; 3rd edition (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865970971
• ISBN-13: 978-0865970977
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What is law? Don't answer until you've read this., July 12, 2003

By	J. H. Huebert (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Freedom and the Law (Paperback)

Historically and traditionally, "law" was considered to be something that lawyers and judges "discovered," rather than something a group of legislators made up and voted on. The law was something that private parties used to settle disputes among themselves, not something that the state, or some groups in society, used to force their will upon others.

_Freedom and the Law_ explores this distinction, between the old idea of law and what people today call law, which is really legislation. Leoni persuasively argues for a return to the imperfect but vastly superior Roman law, or the English common law, as a means of restoring the individual liberty that the state has been destroying in modern times.

It is a challenging book, and perhaps best suited for those with a strong background in history, law, and/or economics. I first attempted to read it when I was younger, and stalled after the first chapter or two. Coming back to it with more education and understanding, I've found a lot to appreciate.

Incidentally, this volume actually contains two books: _Freedom and the Law_ and _The Law and Politics_. The latter is a relatively short collection of lectures from the 1960's, but will be of particular interest to anyone who's studied public choice economics, as Leoni examines the then-new ideas of Duncan Black, James Buchanan, and Gordon Tullock.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read Murray Rothbard's review, January 3, 2009

By	Jimi1964 "J.T." (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

I believe the best review of this book may be found by Murray Rothbard at [..]. The review is entitled "Does Law Require Legislation?" and goes into greater detail than the two reviews posted so far. I have not read the book yet myself so I am giving it the sort of rating I think Murray Rothbard might have given it. This is my first attempt at a review so I hope I have not violated any rules or standards set forth by Amazon.com.

5 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A total yawn - unless you're a Libertarian..., October 31, 2004

By	smilingturtle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freedom and the Law (Paperback)

This book was listed on our summer reading list the summer before I started law school, so I bought it. It is still in brand-new, perfect condition. Why? Because I tried to read it. And failed. Miserably. I was a philosophy major in college. I generally have a lot of patience for long, dense, boring works. But this one? I understood it, but I didn't find it worth my time. This book is a key Libertarian text. I am not a Libertarian. I am a Liberal. There seemed to be nothing in the book with which I could identify. The views of the author were SO far from mine that I just felt like it was a waste of time for me to read it. And that's not a decision I regret.