The Annotated Common Law

Book excerpt: A new take on Holmes' classic study of law and judicial development of rules. "The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience." Annotated throughout with simple clarifications-decoding and demystifying it for the first time-to make it accessible to a new generation of readers. Features new Foreword and extensive notes by Steven Alan Childress, J.D., Ph.D., law professor at Tulane. Includes correct footnote numbers and original page numbers for citing. Contains rare photographs and insightful biographical section as well. As lamented by Holmes' premier biographer in 2006, The Common Law "is very likely the best-known book ever written about American law. But it is a difficult, sometimes obscure book, which today's lawyers and law students find largely inaccessible." No longer. With insertions and simple definitions of the original's language and concepts, this version makes it live for college students (able to "get it," at last, with legal terms explained), plus law students, lawyers, and anyone wanting to understand his great book. No previous edition has offered annotations. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. compiled his master work in 1881 from lectures on the origins, reasoning, and import of the common law. It jump-started Legal Realism and established law as a pragmatic way to solve problems and make policy, not just a bucket of rules. It has stood the test of time as one of the most important and influential studies of law. This book is interesting for a vast audience-including historians, students, and political scientists. It is also an often-recommended read before law school or in the 1L year. High quality edition from Quid Pro's Legal Legends Series. Paperback edition now in its second printing. Also available in hardcover and ebook formats.