A History of American Law: Third Edition |  | Author: Lawrence M. Friedman
Publisher: Touchstone
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Seller: J. Andress
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 64889
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3
Pages: 640
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0684869888
Dewey Decimal Number: 349.7309
EAN: 9780684869889
ASIN: 0684869888
Publication Date: March 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In this brilliant and immensely readable book, Lawrence M. Friedman tells the whole fascinating story of American law from its beginnings in the colonies to the present day. By showing how close the life of the law is to the economic and political life of the country, he makes a complex subject understandable and engrossing. A History of American Law presents the achievements and failures of the American legal system in the context of America's commercial and working world, family practices, and attitudes toward property, government, crime, and justice.Now completely revised and updated, this groundbreaking work incorporates new material regarding slavery, criminal justice, and twentieth-century law. For laymen and students alike, this remains the only comprehensive authoritative history of American law.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 History - To The EXTREME February 6, 2006
Jeffrey W. Wehner (Cincinnati, OH)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
My first reaction after finishing the book, was to ask myself how anyone could have enough time to put so much information together. As the cover states, this "book touches every conceivable aspect of law...it is a stupendous achievement." The author takes an insurmountable task and first breaks it up into four sections, Part 1: American Law in the colonial Period, Part 2: Revolution to the Middle of the 19th century, Part 3: Close of the 19th century, Part 4: The 20th century. Within each part he segments chapters into readable legal topics. (i.e. Corporations, Crime and Punishment, etc). In that way, the reader gets an understanding of the period and how it effects all sorts of law, before going onto another time period and seeing how other areas of the law grew and affected other areas.
Although the republic split from England, the author reviews how attached the our legal system continued to be and all the reasons why this was so. (All the legal treatises and cases were only printed about English law for quite some time). He also discusses why certain areas of the law, nonetheless, quickly grew away. (i.e. the are lots of navigable seaways in America, not so many in England). This is just a small sampling of a tremendous source of information.
The study of law present a tremendous number of apparent inconsistencies, non-sequitors, and just beyond the reasonable conundrums. The author tremendous dedication to this work really sorts out these issues buy showing the development and goals through the history of the Union. (And why the Socratic method is everywhere, much to the consternations of L1s everywhere)
Of course such a treaties requires a good effort to read, assimilate, and remember. Should you decide to read it in a bar on say, a lunch break, you get lots of curious questions, puzzled looks, and few invitations to dates, so be warned. Nonetheless, highly recommended for the all the people in this country that are interested in US history and legal history; yes, I recommend it to both of us.
Best overall history of the American legal system June 19, 2008
William J. Romanos (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am an attorney. I was fortunate enough to read this book well after law school. Although I signed up for a class on the History of American Law when I was in law school - the class was cancelled - presumably for lack of interest (i.e., lack of other students interested in taking the course). I recall a previous edition of this book was going to be assigned as the core textbook.
This is simply the best overall history of the American legal system. It is long and some readers may be discouraged by this. However its length is necessary due to the details it provides and the nature of the subject matter and the time span it covers - basically since inception of the U.S.
The length of the book should not discourage a potential reader. If you read this book, you will have an excellent understanding on how U.S. legal institutions (basically the state and federal appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court) have operated over time and the evolution of American law including core legal doctrines and their evolution over time.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in a thorough and comprehensive overview and history of the U.S. legal system.
Great if you're a history buff July 25, 2008
Ryan T. Lu (Portland, OR USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read the book before I entered law school in order to get a general understanding of the history of American law. Professor Friedman's comprehensive work is of little use to law students (or anyone entering law school) looking for a practical guide to the study and practice of law. Frankly, you can get through law school just fine without ever picking up this book.
That said, you would be doing youself a great disservice. Friedman's work is so comprehensive (covering over 400 years of American law, from the importation of the English legal system during the colonial period to late 20th-century corporate law) that it would be impossible for anyone to read this book and not come out with a better understanding of *WHY* our legal system is the way it is today.
Besides, Friedman's engaging narrative style makes for fun reading. "A History of American Law" and Chemerisnky's "Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies" should be required reading for anyone who has the least bit of interest in the American legal system.
Everyone should read this. March 7, 2009
Edward T. Humphreville (Los Angeles)
I am reading a chapter a night-just delightful. The law of slavery was a real eye opener. Every chapter is amazing. The one on state constitutions puts things in perspective. It really shows one how things fit together in society-how legal doctrines got that way. It also deals with the issue and theme of how and why law changes.
I am a tax accountant with a Masters of Taxation. You'll laugh but you see the origin of many tax terms.
I can see rereading this chapter by chapter-it's that good.
It's a foundational book.
Ted Humphreville -Los Angeles
Incredibly Informative May 20, 2009
Sameer Shukla (Boston, MA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have just finished my first year of law school, and this book was a wonderfully informative read. The premise of the book, that progression in law coincides with progression with social as well as economic factors, is extremely well-founded and confirmed throughout the book. It was fascinating to re-visit cases I had studied this past year through the lens of both historical and social contexts. The true genius of this book, however, is that you don't need to be a lawyer or a law student to appreciate it. To be sure, those with a greater understanding of American jurisprudence will likely get more out of this book, but I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in not just how the American legal system works but more importantly WHY it works the way it does. This book is truly a treasure, and I continue to be amazed with Professor Friedman's exhaustive and comprehensive research. I look forward to re-visiting this book throughout the rest of law school and through my legal career.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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