Legal history Books

Book SynopsisThis brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets their story is the story of Britain.England's greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of Europe. Plantagenet rule saw the establishment of laws and creation of artworks, monuments and tombs which survive to this day, and continue to speak of their sophistication, brutality and secrets.Dan Jones brings you a new vision of this battle-scarred history. From the Crusades, to King John's humbling over Magna Carta and the tragic reign of the last Plantagenet, Richard II this is a blow-by-blow account of England's most thrilling age.Trade Review‘Stonking narrative history told with pace, wit and scholarship about the bloody dynasty that produced some of England’s most brilliant, brutal kings’ Observer ‘Colourful and engaging … Jones has produced an absorbing narrative that will help ensure that the Plantagenet story remains stamped on the English imagination’ Sunday Times ‘Unapologetically about powerful people, their foibles, their passions and their weaknesses … vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly engaging narrative’ Evening Standard ‘Action-packed … Filled with fighting, personality clashes, betrayal and bouts of the famous Plantagenet rage’ Daily Telegraph ‘Dan Jones expertly weaves an enormous medieval tapestry, ranging from the Middles East of Richard the Lionheart's Third Crusade to the battlefields of the Hundred Years War’ Sunday Telegraph ‘This is an unashamedly royal history and even the most insatiable appetite for chivalric deeds and aristocratic violence will be sated by its conclusion’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisThe Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public''s relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and revealed a culture of law-breaking, bugging and burgling. But how much do we know about the story behind the scandal?In To Catch a Spy, Tim Tate reveals the astonishing true story of the British government''s attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide the truth about Britain''s intelligence services and political elites. It''s a story of state-sanctioned cover-up plots; of the government lying to Parliament and courts around the world; and of stories leaked with the intention to mislead and deceive.This is a tale of high treason and low farce. Drawing on thousands of pages of previously unpublished court transcripts, the contents of secret British government files, and original interviews with many of the key players in the Spycatcher trials, it draws back the curtain on a hidden world. A world where spies, politicians and Britain''s most senior civil servants conspired to ride roughshod over the law, prevented the public from hearing about their actions and mounted a cynical conspiracy to deceive the world. It is the story of Peter Wright''s ruthless and often lawless obsession to uncover Russian spies, both real and imagined, his belated determination to reveal the truth and the lengths to which the British government would go to silence him.

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Book SynopsisDo we have the law we deserve?Has justice improved for the victim, the accused and society?What even is justice?Joseph is a natural storyteller.. but what makes it stand out is her point of view.' The Times''A compelling read'' Lady HaleA more cerebral version of Kavanagh QC with sensitivity, suspense and an easy style. New Statesman''Beautifully written, immensely engaging, powerful and disturbing insight into a judge's work and the choices faced.'' Peter JamesIf ever I was on trial I would want my judge to be this one.' Cherie Blair, CBE KCHot on the heels of her Sunday Times bestseller Unlawful Killings, Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC skilfully reconstructs four courtroom dramas, drawing on her many years' experience as a murder judge to ask whether our justice system works, and if it has improved over the centuries. Have we got any better at delivering what is right and fair to both the perpetrators and the victims of society's most heinous crimes?From the trial of a child charged with disposing of dismembered body parts, to the woman accused of killing her own husband, Joseph is utterly compelling as she sets out how the system works. But, as she compares these modern courtroom tales with eerily similar cases and miscarriages of justice from years ago, might the most chilling story of all be that the lessons of the past have yet to be learned?Incisive, masterfully crafted, Rough Justice illuminates the struggles of any one of us caught up in our legal system but particularly the marginalized and the easily exploited and grapples with the concept of justice for all' so that we might demand better.The author''s wit and wisdom deserve as wide an audience as possible.' His Honour David RadfordAn author who uses hindsight to contemplate foresight whilst generating genuine insight.' Professor Dame Sue Black''The criminal law has found its voice: quiet, determined, steely, and yet always humane.' Justin Webb''A riveting front-line account of our beleaguered courts...Told with clarity and eloquence, it distils an arcane subject with the vigor and pace of a legal thriller.'' Kia Abdullah..........................................................................................................Praise for Unlawful Killings by Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2023:''The most exceptional book I have read in a long time.'' CLARE MACKINTOSH''Absolutely superb. 5 stars'' PHILIPPA PERRY, author of THE BOOK YOU WISH YOUR PARENTS HAD READ''Wendy Joseph''s gripping account of the law at work reads like a cliffhanger.'' Sunday Times''A gripping insight ... beautifully crafted ... grim tales lifted by humour and honesty.'' The Times''Her writing is characterized by analytical precision, but it is also a book of great empathy and urgency... A fine book.'''' TLS''A very rare gem. written with authority, humility and compassion. Compellingly clever and sharply honest.'' PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK, author of ALL THAT REMAINS''Riveting, thought-provoking, and very, very entertaining. I loved it.'' RODDY DOYLE''Will make you question all the fundamentals that you''ve come to take for granted about offenders, the crimes that they commit - especially murder - and the punishment they deserve. A page turner that will leave you wanting to know more.'' EMERITUS PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, author of MY LIFE WITH MURDERERS

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE BLOODY SCOTLAND DEBUT PRIZE 2022SHORTLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION DEBUT CROWN 2022Glasgow, 1817: Jean Campbell - a young, Deaf woman - is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge. If found guilty she faces one of two fates; death by hanging or incarceration in an asylum. But Jean's deafness leaves her isolated and unable to defend herself, until the authorities call in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution.Through a difficult process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Jean grows to trust Robert, she reveals what really happened on that bridge over the river Clyde. And Robert, now embroiled in this dark case, must act quickly to ensure justice is served, before it is too late. 'Based on a case from Scottish legal history, Smith's novel skilfully combines crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth' The Times'Fascinating' Sally MagnussonTrade ReviewA striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past, illuminating a fascinating corner of history by revealing its lost voices and contemporary resonance. Smith's evocative storytelling and willingness to probe the murkier reaches of the human psyche make her a talent to watch! * Zoë Strachan *A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds and smells of urban Scotland in 1817. * Sally Magnusson *I loved Hear No Evil, beautifully written and a real page turner with characters whose company I enjoyed greatly. It evoked the Edinburgh of that time brilliantly and vividly and gave such a wonderful insight into the early quest to understand and give a voice to people who cannot hear. The historical evocation of Edinburgh and the dramatic murder story were both so well done and so rewarding. * Elisabeth Gifford *A compelling and thoughtful exploration of a deaf woman's struggle for justice in Regency-era Scotland * Rebecca Netley, author of THE WHISTLING *'Fascinating... gripped me from start to finish' * Westender Magazine *A richly evocative telling. You can almost smell the reek of the old Edinburgh streets. Feel the brutality and inhumanity of it all... A gentle read that belies its power. A stylish murder mystery illuminating a fascinating corner of history. * C&B News *In Sarah Smith's debut, Hear No Evil, Robert Kinniburgh, a teacher at Edinburgh's Deaf and Dumb Institution, is summoned to one of the city's jails, where an unusual prisoner awaits interrogation. Jean Campbell, a deaf woman, is accused of drowning her child, but communication with her has been impossible. Kinniburgh, who employs a form of sign language, becomes the means by which she can tell her story, and slowly the complex reality of what happened emerges. Based on a case from Scottish legal history, Smith's novel skilfully combines crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth. * The Times *Dramatic and evocative . . . a stunning debut * Dumfries & Galloway Life *

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Book SynopsisA new approach to the telling of legal history, devoid of jargon and replete with good stories, which will be of interest to anyone wishing to know more about the common law - the spinal cord of the English body politic. Throughout English history the rule of law and the preservation of liberty have been inseparable, and both are intrinsic to England's constitution. This accessible and entertaining history traces the growth of the law from its beginnings in Anglo-Saxon times to the present day. It shows how the law evolved from a means of ensuring order and limiting feuds to become a supremely sophisticated dispenser of justice and the primary guardian of civil liberties.This development owed much to the English kings and their judiciary, who, in the twelfth century, forged a unified system of law - predating that of any other European country - from almost wholly Anglo-Saxon elements. Yet by theseventeenth century this royal offspring - Oedipus Lex it could be called - was capable of regicide. Since then the law has had a somewhat fractious relationship with that institution upon which the regal mantle of supreme power descended, Parliament. This book tells the story of the common law not merely by describing major developments but by concentrating on prominent personalities and decisive cases relating to the constitution, criminal jurisprudence, and civil liberties. It investigates the great constitutional conflicts, the rise of advocacy, and curious and important cases relating to slavery, insanity, obscenity, cannibalism, the death penalty, and miscarriages of justice. The book concludes by examining the extension of the law into the prosecution of war criminals and protection of universal human rights and the threats posed by over-reaction to national emergencies and terrorism. Devoid ofjargon and replete with good stories, Law, Liberty and the Constitution represents a new approach to the telling of legal history and will be of interest to anyone wishing to know more about the common law - the spinal cordof the English body politic. Harry Potter is a former fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge and a practising barrister specialising in criminal defence. He has authored books on the death penalty and Scottish history andwrote and presented an award-winning series on the history of the common law for the BBC.Trade ReviewAn enjoyable read. * PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY *Potter lacerates the jargon and marches through a long timeline to produce a slim, superbly written account of the common law. * LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE *Full of triumphs, tragedies, comedies, accidents and unintended consequences [with] an immense cast of characters. ... [A] lively and opinionated book. * TIMES *Harry Potter has a way with words...which make his books impossible to put down...If you need a good introduction to legal history (all students of English history do), then read this book. * FACHRS NEWSLETTER *

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Book Synopsis'As British official records are still "going missing", the significance of Cobain's work only increases' David Olusoga, author of Black and British 'In an astonishing book, the writer Ian Cobain reveals the mass destruction of records and archives, and the false memory it has left us with' Andrew Marr In 1889, the first Official Secrets Act was passed. Since then a culture of secrecy has flourished. As successive governments have been selective about what they choose to share with the public, we have been left with a distorted and incomplete understanding not only of the workings of the state but of our nation's culture and its past. Ian Cobain reveals how key moments in British history since the end of WWII have been manipulated by these official secrets. We follow the decades-long attempts to conceal the existence of Bletchley Park and its successor, GCHQ. We learn how a series of astonishing wars were fought during the 1960s and 1970s remained unreported. He also tells of the government's hidden links with terrorist cells during the Troubles, and reveals the state's peacetime surveillance techniques, not to mention its cynical manipulation of the criminal justice system and 'freedom of information'. Drawing on previously unseen material and rigorous research, The History Thieves is a gripping story of how a complex bureaucratic machine has been created by the British state, allowing governments to evade accountability and bury their secrets. 'An engrossing account of how government officials burned the records of imperial rule as the British empire came to an end' Book of the Week, Guardian 'An important book which deserves to change the way we see our recent past...' Daily MailTrade ReviewThis important and highly readable book proves that, in a so-called age of transparency, official secrecy is actually increasing - in government and the armed forces, in the courts and in Whitehall and the Security Services. Censorship is often imposed to hide embarrassment, but also to prevent accountability for malfeasance and illegality, and to distort deliberately the historical record. There is a new establishment at work, and it preens itself just like the old, possessing the power to suppress. Our only weapon against those Orwell used to call "the striped-trousered ones who rule" is to expose and deride them - a job Ian Cobain does most effectively -- Geoffrey Robertson QCA meticulously researched, eye-opening triumph. Essential reading in the age of Snowden and Assange -- Charles Cumming, author * A Divided Spy *Cobain's excellent book exposes the single most significant catastrophe of the 'War on Terror'. While the rebirth of torture has grabbed many headlines, the most dangerous fruit of the atmosphere of fear has been an industry of secrecy. Cobain teaches us both the history of this secretive snooping, and how it imperils us all today -- Clive Stafford SmithAs one would expect from the pen of an experienced investigative journalist, this is a "good read", thought-provoking throughout, frequently shocking, but sometimes amusing in its exploration of the more bizarre attempts of the powers to keep us in the dark... Cobain's book, I think, will open many eyes -- Mandy Banton * Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs *As British official records are still "going missing", the significance of Cobain's work only increases -- David Olusoga * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA master storyteller presents a riveting drama of America''s first crime of the century--from murder investigation to a church sex scandal to celebrity trial--and its aftermath.In December 1832 a farmer found the body of a young, pregnant woman hanging near a haystack outside a New England mill town. When news spread that Methodist preacher Ephraim Avery was accused of murdering Sarah Maria Cornell, a factory worker, the case gave the public everything they found irresistible: sexually charged violence, adultery, the hypocrisy of a church leader, secrecy and mystery, and suspicions of insanity. Murder in a Mill Town tells the story of how a local crime quickly turned into a national scandal that became America''s first trial of the century.After her death--after she became the country''s most notorious factory girl--Cornell''s choices about work, survival, and personal freedom became enmeshed in stories that Americans told themselves about their new world of industry and women''s laborTrade ReviewMurder in a Mill Town is a murder mystery, a sex scandal, a legal thriller, and a crystal-clear primer on how the rise of capitalism transformed the most intimate aspects of American life—all rolled into one. It is an essential read for anyone interested in true-crime tales and their hold on American culture. * Debby Applegate, author of The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher *A young mill girl. A married minister. An inconvenient pregnancy. A suspicious death. A sensational murder trial. Bruce Dorsey's deeply researched account shows that the case captured the attention of antebellum America not just because of its lurid combination of sex and violence, but also because of the ways it played out contemporary conflicts over the changing roles of women—and men. Two centuries ago, an illicit affair could threaten a man's status and a woman's life. Now, after the overthrow of Roe v. Wade, the tragedy of Sarah Maria Cornell remains urgent, illuminating, and haunting. * John Wood Sweet, author of The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America *This true crime history set in a New England mill town may seem familiar at first. But gradually peeling the onion, Bruce Dorsey reveals the exceeding strangeness of the times, reminding us that the past is a foreign country. * John Mack Faragher, Yale University *This is a story of ordinary people living in exceptional times, who find themselves caught up in a rapidly changing world—a story that involves not only the two central protagonists, but hundreds of trial witnesses whose testimony illuminates their historical experience in striking detail, and dozens of journalists and popular writers who search for broader meanings in this episode of personal violence. In strikingly accessible prose, Bruce Dorsey brings his characters to life on the page. * Karen Halttunen, author of Murder Most Foul: The Killer and the American Gothic Imagination *Murder in a Mill Town highlights how little we've learned or changed since the 1830s. It almost reads as an indictment about America's petty fears about sex, women, and undermining religion- "almost an indictment" because, in his precise writing and masterful contextualizing, Dorsey doesn't offer an opinion. He lets the horror of our culture speak for itself. * Tony Russo, New York Journal of Books *Table of ContentsPreface: Before the Curtain Rises Act I Murder 1. The Haystack 2. The Manufacturer 3. A Troubled Marriage 4. Native Sons 5. "Useful in this World" 6. "Factory Girl" 7. "Crazy Dow" 8. A Methodist Family 9. Moving Planet 10. Circuit Rider 11. Slanderer 12. Moral Police 13. Examination 14. Manhunt 15. "If I am missing" Act II Trial 16. Courtroom Tales 17. Physicians, Bodies, and Women 18. Doctor Visits 19. Sex Talk 20. Bad Stories 21. Passions and Self-Murder 22. "This most extraordinary of all cases" Act III Scandal 23. Mobs and More Murders 24. Conspiracies 25. Vindication 26. Camp Meetings 27. Seduction 28. Fake News 29. Stage and Song Coda Notes Index

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Book Synopsis'Brilliantly gripping' Sunday Times; 'Compelling' Daily Mail; 'Heart-rending' Sunday Telegraph; 'Excellent' The Times; 'Engrossing' Independent The UK's only war crimes trial took place in 1999 and had its origins in the horrors of the Holocaust, but only now in The Ticket Collector from Belarus​ can the full story be told.  The Ticket Collector from Belarus tells the remarkable story of two interwoven journeys. Ben-Zion Blustein and Andrei Sawoniuk were childhood friends in 1930s Domachevo, a holiday and health resort in what is now Belarus. During the events that followed the Nazi invasion in 1941, they became the bitterest of enemies. After the war, Ben-Zion made his way to Israel, and ‘Andrusha the bastard’ to England, where he found work as a British Rail ticket collector in London. Trade Review'In this brilliantly gripping mix of true crime and narrative history, Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson tell the story of the first and only war crimes trial to be held on British soil... To their great credit, Anderson and Hanson avoid piling on the horror, letting the court transcripts speak for themselves.' -- Kathryn Hughes * Sunday Times *'Here we meet the gulf whose existence is so well illustrated in this book - that between court truth and historical truth. One of the great values of Anderson and Hanson's excellent work is to demonstrate that there are several distinct kinds of justice.' -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *'A riveting and haunting book that raises important questions about how far justice should reach when confronted with the worst of crimes.' -- Roger Alton * Daily Mail *'Sawoniuk ignored the advice of his own lawyers and took the stand. The old man's angry testimony is the high point of the book... The authors have interviewed most of the key players in this heart-rending tale and the result is a sensitive and well-balanced account of an extraordinary moment in British legal history.' -- Saul David * Sunday Telegraph *'An extraordinary tale, not least because of the light it throws on on the persistence and thoroughness of the British legal system... The account of how he was finally identified and tracked down makes lively reading... It makes for fascinating reading.' -- Caroline Moorehead * Spectator *'Engrossing. The book...arrive[s] in gift-wrapped form for any smart TV or film producer - with characters who don't so much as jump but leap off the page and into your imagination. Forgive the hyperbole but this is the story with everything... A terrific achievement.' -- Adrian Hennigan * Haaretz *

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Book SynopsisThe First Amendment to the US Constitution protects free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association and assembly, and the right to petition the government. Why did the Framers protect these particular rights? What role were these rights intended to play in our democracy? And what force do they retain in today''s world? In this highly readable account, Ashutosh Bhagwat explores the answers to these questions. The first part of the book looks at the history of the First Amendment, early political conflicts over its meaning, and the lessons to be learned from those events about the nature of our system of government. The second part applies those lessons to our modern, fractious democracy as it has evolved in the age of the Internet and social media. Now as then, the key to maintaining that democracy, it turns out, is an active citizenry that fully embraces the First Amendment.Trade Review'By highlighting the First Amendment's too often neglected press, assembly, and petition clauses, Bhagwat shows how the democratic free speech tradition most closely associated with Louis Brandeis complements rather than contradicts the broadly libertarian understanding that finally emerged following the McCarthy era. Eschewing censorship, Bhagwat would turn to what Tocqueville identified as America's distinctive democratic strength - civil society institutions - to tackle our age's pathologies of information silos, Internet trolls, and fake news. Our Democratic First Amendment is at once clear-eyed and boldly free of cynicism.' Michael C. Dorf, Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law, Cornell University'Ash Bhagwat offers an original and powerful analysis of the core purposes of the First Amendment and of how those purposes should play out today. In particular, he notes that almost all of the Supreme Court's attention has focused on the freedom of speech, and that the Court has essentially written out of the First Amendment the freedom of the press, the right of assembly, the right of association, and the right to petition the government. It is only, he argues, by considering all of these rights in their relation to one another that the Court can come to a proper understanding of 'Our Democratic First Amendment'. Bhagwat then turns to the challenges of the present, including social media, the collapse of 'mainstream media', and the 'siloing' of American society. In the end, he offers suggestions for how, in the current state of affairs, we can still save our democracy.' Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago'Bhagwat's eminently readable prose drives home the importance of speech, press, assembly, and petition to our current and future democratic experiment. Readers will benefit from this book's careful consideration of these rights individually and collectively, and how our use of them protects and performs sovereignty, citizenship, and democracy.' John Inazu, Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion, Washington University, St. Louis'The First Amendment lists four specific freedoms of expression: speech, press, assembly (association), and petition, but the courts have tended to merge them all into one. This engaging book discusses each of these freedoms on its own terms, and explains for a general audience why they all matter now, more than ever. Whether you are liberal or conservative, this book will help you understand your rights as an American.' Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center, Stanford University'This title is well sourced, remarkably engaging, and for students and scholars alike.' D. E. Smith, Choice'… an exceptional review of the First Amendment's principles and their interdependent purposes. These passages provide great value for theorists, scholars, and practitioners - and especially for students of American politics, constitutional law and history, and the Bill of Rights.' Andy Carr, Law and Politics Book ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. The Framers' Democrocratic First Amendment: 1. Freedom of speech and of the press; 2. Assembly and association; 3. The petition clause; 4. Cognate rights and democratic citizenship; Part II. The Democratic First Amendment in the Age of Twitter: 5. Cacophony: speech and press in the Internet era; 6. DeSiloing: of civic associations, book clubs, and taverns; 7. Why assembly and petition still matter; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisContributions to the forty-ninth volume of Anglo-Saxon England focus on various aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture and history across a period from the sixth to the thirteenth century, from Anglo-Saxon wedding rites in be wifmannes beweddunge to isotopic evidence of elite diets and a reassessment of feorm. Each article is preceded by a short abstract.Table of ContentsList of illustrations; List of abbreviations; 1. Record of the nineteenth conference of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists at the University of New Mexico, 29 July–2 August 2019 Timothy Graham; 2. Bede, bishops and Bisi of East Anglia: questions of chronology and Episcopal consecration in the Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum Calum Platts; 3. A further fragment of the abridged version of Cassiodorus's Commentary on the Psalms Helen Imhoff; 4. Be wifmannes beweddunge: betrothals and weddings in Anglo-Saxon England Samuel Cardwell; 5. Food and power in early Medieval England: rethinking Feorm Tom Lambert and Sam Leggett; 6. Food and power in early Medieval England: a lack of (isotopic) enrichment Sam Leggett and Tom Lambert; 7. The limits of Bookland John Blair; 8. Slave resistance in early Medieval England Janel M. Fontaine.

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Book SynopsisWomen before the court offers an innovative, comparative approach to the study of women’s legal rights during a formative period of Anglo–American history. It traces how colonists transplanted English legal institutions to America, examines the remarkable depth of women’s legal knowledge and shows how the law increasingly undermined patriarchal relationships between parents and children, masters and servants, husbands and wives. The book will be of interest to scholars of Britain and colonial America, and to laypeople interested in how women in the past navigated and negotiated the structures of authority that governed them. It is packed with fascinating stories that women related to the courts in cases ranging from murder and abuse to debt and estate litigation. Ultimately, it makes a remarkable contribution to our understandings of law, power and gender in the early modern world.Trade Review'this book skilfully ties together the varied experiences of women living and litigating in England and North America across the early modern period. The book will be of interest to historians of women and legal history in Britain and the Atlantic, and should be commended for bringing together scholars who are prone to focus on particular countries or jurisdictions as case studies.'Rebecca Mason, Reviews in History'Women before the Court offers much to scholars on both sides of the Atlantic. [...] This book may beconsidered required reading for scholars of women, family, property, commerce, and law in seventeenth-and eighteenth-century Anglo-America. It also provides a valuable comparative overview for scholars working on the same topics in other countries and regions. For its brevity, helpful exposition of many legal complexities, long time frame, and comparative structure, Women before the Court could also make an excellent choice as a classroom text.'Journal of British Studies -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: ‘When Women goe to Law, the Devill is full of Businesse'Part I1 The varieties of Anglo-American law: property, patriarchy, and women’s legal status in England and America2 Women as plaintiffs and defendants: the common law, equity, and ecclesiastical jurisdictionsPart II3 Masters and mistresses, servants and slaves: patriarchy and subordinate agency in the household4 Wives and (unwed) mothers: women’s claims for financial support5 Inheritance and family feuds: the legal power of elite womenPart III6 Economic expansion and the erosion of patriarchyIndex

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Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to copyright, patents, trademarks, and other forms of knowledge that are subject to global law and regulation.Trade ReviewIn the course of a book tracing the legal paths by which ideas about intellectual property has traveled, Vaidhyanathan illuminates conflicting truths... In this smart, engaging book, surprisingly provocative for a short introduction, he won this reader. * Karin Wulf, The Scholarly Kitchen *A wonderfully accessible avenue into a wholly confusing topic, making it another truly spectacular addition to the OUP Very Short Introduction series. This is a book for law buffs, experts on rules and regulations, and anyone looking to widen their economic and political understanding of the world or make a splash at an incredibly specific pub quiz. * Jade Fell, Engineering & Technology *Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: How to Read Starbucks; or Why Intellectual Property Matters More Than You Think Chapter 2: Copyright, Commerce, and Culture Chapter 3: Patents and their Discontents Chapter 4: Trademarks and the Politics of Branding Chapter 5: Other Rights: Domain Names, Publicity, Trade Secrets, Data, and Designs Conclusion: The Politics of Resistance and the Access to Knowledge Movement Acknowledgements Useful Web Sites References Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDeals with a murder trial in the insular Bukharan-Jewish community of Forest Hills, Queens, that captured national attention. The defendant, Mozoltuv Barukhova, a beautiful young physician, is accused of hiring an assassin to kill her estranged husband, Daniel Malakov, a respected orthodontist, in the presence of their four-year old child.Trade Review"[Malcolm] is acute—and devastating."—Emily Bazelon, New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)"Reading [Malcolm], you have the sensation of encountering a mind at once incredibly blunt and terrifically precise: a sledgehammer that could debone a shad. That rare and strange effect could only be produced by an intellect as formidable as Malcolm’s."—Kathryn Schulz, Boston Globe"This is shrewd and quirky crime reporting at its irresistible and disabused best."—Louis Begley, Wall Street Journal"In Iphigenia in forest Hills, Janet Malcolm turns her excellence in first-person reportage to the American justice system, by way of a real jury trial in New York City in 2009. . . . A gripping read."—Marcel Berlins, The Times"[Malcolm] is an excellent observer, with a good eye for detail."—Lynn Barber, The Sunday Times"Ms. Malcolm’s books have wintry atmospheres—both intellectual and aesthetic—that derive partly from the way she takes facts and attaches them, like someone hanging tea-light candles from high rafters, to mythology and classic literature."—Dwight Garner, New York Times"It would be interesting to put Tom Wolfe (a humidifier) and Ms. Malcolm (a dehumidifier) on the same court case and let them fight it out for the available oxygen in the room."—Dwight Garner, New York Times"[Malcolm's] observations about the legal system in America are fierce and finely ground."—Dwight Garner, New York Times"This new book does for the courtroom what Malcolm’s previous books did for biography, journalism and psychoanalysis. It shows that in a high-stakes trial nobody, least of all the judge, is an entirely disinterested player."—Jonathan Bate, The Sunday Telegraph"Janet Malcolm’s new book, Iphigenia in Forest Hills, is a slim little volume. If it is a cold night and you don’t mind a few wrinkles, you can read the entire thing in the bath. If it is not a cold night, it will feel like one by the time you finish."—Kathryn Schulz, Boston Globe"Iphigenia in Forest Hills is an incendiary book that begins and ends—like any good epic must—in medias res. . . . It's a story that discomfits as much as it explains. Not for Malcolm the journalism of 'reassurance' or 'rhetorical ruses,' her small book with big stakes and mythic underpinnings flies close to the sun. It unsettles and scorches and soars."—Parul Sehgal, Bookforum"Absorbing. . . . Iphigenia in Forest Hills casts, from its first pages, a genuine spell—the kind of spell to which Ms. Malcolm’s admirers (and I am one) have become addicted."—Dwight Garner, New York Times Book Review"Janet Malcolm has produced another masterpiece of literary reportage."—Geoff Dyer, FT.com"Malcolm’s interpretation is . . . astonishing. . . . Under her brilliant gaze, a seemingly incidental detail shines suddenly with meaning."—Elizabeth Gumport, The Guardian"This absorbing book is [Malcolm’s] account of a trial that throws an unflattering spotlight on the US justice system, and will make every American cross their fingers and hope never to sit in the dock."—Rosemary Goring, Glasgow Herald"If you have never read Malcolm, you are in for a treat. All her books are short and sharp and fiercely intelligent: as one of her colleagues put it, her ‘blade gleams with a razor edge’….Trials make great theatre and the five week trial of Borukhova and Mallayev offered Malcolm some very colourful characters."—Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday"Malcolm has written a fascinating story….her essay’s after effect is entirely disproportionate to its brevity. The disquiet stays with you. It’s there in the pit of your stomach."—Rachel Cooke, The Observer"As soon as I read this bizarre murder story, I felt impelled to read it again. It is impossible to put down."—Julia Pascal, The Independent". . . . it’s after the trial, when Malcolm gets among the Bukharan families in their homes, that she is most splendidly and poignantly in her element. Her presence in the text is lighter, her touch firmer and more delicate, and her attention more warmly and accurately attuned, than those of any other writer I can think of. All her life she has been perfecting this superb narrating and analytical voice and I for one would follow it anywhere."—Helen Garner, Sydney Morning Herald"A prize-winning journalist discovers the elements of Greek tragedy in a sensational murder trial. This is a riveting account of the recent bizarre and intriguing Borukhova case. Janet Malcolm’s journalistic brilliance paints an unsettling picture of a fractured marriage, legal manoeuvrings and a fatal custody battle that precipitated murder."—Granta"Janet Malcolm’s characteristically incisive account of a murder trial."—Geoff Dyer, Prospect Magazine"A passionate, incredulous indictment of the American legal system and its brutal bureaucracy."—Christopher Hirst, The Independent iA Lifetime Achievement award for 2011 was given to nonfiction writer and journalist Janet Malcolm by the English-Speaking Union of the United StatesRunner-up for the Biography/Autobiography category at the Los Angeles Book FestivalFinalist for the 2012 Book of the Year in the True Crime category, as awarded by ForeWord Magazine

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Book SynopsisThe Forgotten Shipwreck is the tragic true story of a Cornish pleasure boat which sank without trace or sensation, relegated in news columns by England's football World Cup triumph the day before. It spans so many facets, from a village numbed with whole families wiped out, to angry exchanges in the House of Commons and law courts. There is intrigue, chicanery, deceit, incompetence and greed. It had far-reaching ramifications and yet, for all that, the Darlwyne tragedy lacked an ending. On Thursday 4 August 1966 the sea began to give up its dead. The relatives of twelve of the thirty-one people who had set out on a pleasure trip on 31 July could at least temper their grief to some small extent with the fact that their remains had been found. The loved ones of the other nineteen would have no such solace. Some fifty years later a team of divers, archaeologists, filmmakers, photographers and wreck researchers set about to change that. By piecing together eyewitness accounts, news stories, court proceedings, weather reports and archive material, and by applying modern methods and underwater search techniques would they be able to succeed where the original search mission had been unable? Could they unravel the mystery of complicated waters and pinpoint the final resting place of the Darlwyne?Trade Review'As with all Nick's books, this is well written and extremely well researched. Nick tells a good story with realism and when appropriate, a touch of humour... Nick takes us on a fascinating journey to find the lost wreck and try, finally, to give the surviving family and friends some closure'--Scubaverse; 'Nick is a master of both comedy and tragedy ... this was to be the latter'-- Miranda KrestovnikoffTable of ContentsForeword by Miranda Krestovnikoff; Dedication; Introduction; Origin; A Cast of Characters; Prelude to Disaster; 'When is Daddy coming back?'; Questions on Land and Sea; Two Guilty Men; Aftermath; The Land and the Sea; Searching the Past; Shrinking the Haystack; The Wreck; Questions and Answers; Remembrance; Postscript; Glossary; Acknowledgements; Index.

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Book Synopsis'A fascinating, comprehensive study that forces us to think again about what law is, and why it matters ... For those who want to understand why human society has emerged as it has, this is essential reading' Rana Mitter, author of China's Good War The laws now enforced throughout the world are almost all modelled on systems developed in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During two hundred years of colonial rule, Europeans exported their laws everywhere they could. But they weren't filling a void: in many places, they displaced traditions that were already ancient when Vasco Da Gama first arrived in India. Where, then, did it all begin? And what has law been and done over the course of human history? In The Rule of Laws, pioneering anthropologist Fernanda Pirie traces the development of the world's great legal systems - Chinese, Indian, Roman, and Islamic - and the innumerable smaller traditions they inspired.Trade ReviewFascinating, insightful and gripping, The Rule of Laws provides a comprehensive exploration of the history underpinning our modern legal systems. A triumph -- The Secret BarristerAn ambitious account of the rise and fall of the world's great legal systems ... richly informative and consistently thought-provoking .. Fernanda Pirie's work will command, and deserve, a wide readership -- Jonathan Sumption * TLS *Exceptionally rich -- Andrew Stark * Wall Street Journal *The Rule of Laws offers a pathbreaking and stimulating account of how societies across different regions and epochs drew upon secular, sacred, and scholarly traditions to create laws that organized the lives of their citizens ... This expansive narrative challenges what we think we know about legal history and the assumptions we make about law's future -- Edward J. Watts, author * Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny *The Rule of Laws is a fascinating, comprehensive study that forces us to think again about what law is, and why it matters ... For those who want to understand why human society has emerged as it has, this is essential reading -- Rana Mitter, author * China's Good War *In the exploration of Big questions concerning the law, legality, legal traditions and suchlike, [The Rule of Laws] will occupy an important position. It asks some fundamental questions, including where did the concept of law - and thence of the rule of law - originate? ... A vast canvas ... magisterial * The Commonwealth Lawyer *Agile [and] convincing ... A valuable study for students of the law and its evolution over the millennia * Kirkus *In this panoramic history, Pirie tells the story of the rise and fall of systems of law across the civilizations, empires, and societies of the ancient and modern world ... Pirie argues that if the history of law has a common theme, it is that laws are not simply rules -- G. John Ikenberry * Foreign Affairs *An intriguing synthesis of the history of global legal codes and their origins -- Jeffrey Meyer * Library Journal *The Rule of Laws is a great overview of the history of law, covering four millennia and many different societies ... accessible to a wide readership. It dispels ideas that our current Western form of law is natural and by doing so, give us the liberty to question how it can be used or altered to make the world a better place. It also leaves us with the idea that it can be taken away * Open Letters Review *

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Book SynopsisLegal Lessons examines how China's party-state attempted to motivate ordinary citizens to learn laws during the Mao period. Archival records, advice manuals, and colorful propaganda materials reveal how official attempts to promote correct understanding of laws intersected with the interpretations and practical experiences of the people.Trade ReviewWhile the book is focused on China’s two most important urban centers, Altehenger’s careful work in the Beijing and Shanghai archives, complemented by local gazetteers and restricted internal documents, rewards readers with a multilayered depiction of cultural work in the PRC. -- Brian DeMare * China Journal *This terrific book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of propaganda in China as well as to the fields of law, politics and history of the PRC…Altehenger’s analysis contributes mightily to our understanding of the period that she examines, but also is useful in appreciating the dilemmas of law in China today. -- Pitman B. Potter * China Quarterly *A thorough and accessible account of a very complex and important topic, and it deserves wide readership. The book will prove especially helpful for researchers interested in the PRC legal system, Chinese legal history, China’s governance capacity, and its state-society relations. -- Ji Li * China Review International *Drawing upon abundant archival records, internal reports, newspapers, and posters, Altehenger offers a fresh look into the CCP’s campaigns of disseminating legal knowledge. Her vivid accounts not only demonstrate the significant role of mass legal education in China’s socialist governance, but also disclose the complex dynamics between party leaders, propaganda officials, state and private publishers, and cultural workers in various campaigns. -- Weiting Guo * Pacific Affairs *A pioneering account of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) endeavored to use legal propaganda to mold ideological consciousness and valorize the disparate phases of its revolution between 1949 and 1989…Altehenger has filled a key gap in the literature on the PRC legal system with an engaging, richly sourced study that bridges multiple fields of scholarship…Her book will appeal to historians of modern China, culture, and law, as well as to observers of the contemporary PRC, and that is an exceptional feat. -- Glenn Tiffert * Law and History Review *Exhaustively researched and methodologically innovative, Legal Lessons is a must-read not only for PRC historians but also for legal historians of China and elsewhere. It redresses a glaring paucity of scholarship in an important field and provides a deeply textured narrative of the continued tussle between state and society over the varied meanings of law. By crossing important epochal divides, it also places China’s ongoing legal reforms in their proper historical context to demonstrate how they were not exclusively inventions of the post-Mao government seeking to rebuild its political legitimacy and rejoin the global economy. -- Philip Thai * PRC History Review *An important work for scholars interested in the cultural dimensions of the law, Maoist-era mass political campaigns, and the comparative study of socialist states. -- Joshua Hill * Twentieth-Century China *When it seized power in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party abolished the modern legal codes of the Republican era and created ‘socialist law’ for the new People’s Republic. Altehenger places the Chinese experience firmly within the world of the ‘socialist brother countries.’ This is not a book about rule by law, but the story of rule by propaganda. Going far beyond legal history, it is a compelling study of the enduring political culture of a regime that still argues today that it need not abide by its own constitution. -- William C. Kirby, T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies and Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration, Harvard UniversityA major scholarly accomplishment, Legal Lessons masterfully details how the Chinese state over forty years spread knowledge about law. By providing an extraordinarily deft portrayal of the deep internal conceptual and practical tensions that the party-state encountered in endeavoring to use law as a governing instrument, and the intricate ways in which China’s populace received and understood those messages, Altehenger shows that creating law for a new China was far more complex an undertaking than had previously been presumed. -- William Alford, Henry L. Stimson Professor, Harvard Law SchoolThis is a beautifully researched and illuminating study of how the Chinese communist state has struggled to popularize laws since the 1950s through campaigns around the Marriage Laws, various drafts of the constitution, and more general legal awareness. It demonstrates the importance of law to the communist state throughout its history and the crucial role of culture and the media in how law has been understood. -- Henrietta Harrison, Professor of Modern Chinese Studies, University of Oxford China CentreLegal Lessons links the practice of legal education in the early PRC to the larger international project of socialist lawmaking, and raises new questions about the relationship between legal propaganda, legal ‘reform,’ and the quest for new kinds of legal polities in the late twentieth century and beyond. Altehenger’s masterful study provides a critical foundation for understanding the Chinese path to that contested condition we call rule of law. -- Madeleine Zelin, Dean Lung Professor of Chinese Studies, Columbia UniversityWith its wide-ranging implications, Legal Lessons is worth learning! It presents a whole new way to comprehend radical attempts made by the Chinese state to inculcate legal knowledge among the people—and thereby transform society—at pivotal moments in China’s recent past. -- Karl Gerth, Hsiu Endowed Chair in Chinese Studies and Professor of History, University of California, San Diego

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Book SynopsisLord Denning was the most famous English judge of the twentieth century. Arguably, he was the most famous of any century. His judgments were legendary for both their style and substance. The style was instantly recognisable, with his short sentences and unique method of storytelling. The substance was always less about law and more about justice, as Denning looked for the fairest outcome to every case before him. Over time, Denningâs views on justice and his manipulation of precedent became increasingly controversial. As society changed around him, headhered rigidly to the Edwardian morality of his childhood. His report on the Profumo Affair â the most sensational political scandal of post-war Britain â was dismissed by some as an âestablishment whitewashâ. His rulings in trade union disputes earned him many critics, while his dismissal of the appeal of the âBirmingham Sixâ falsely convicted of a terrorist atrocity became notorious when a gross miscarriage of justice was later uncovered. Yet enough goodwill remained for him to be called after his death âthe best-known and best-loved judge in the whole of our historyâ by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Bingham. For all his controversies, there is no question that Denning led an extraordinary life. Born into a family of modest means in a small Hampshire town in 1899, he went on to gain two firsts from Oxford and a commission in the First World War, before becoming a successful barrister and serving almost 40 years as a senior judge. This book looks at that remarkable life story as well as assessing Denningâs legacy, showing how he continues to influence, inspire and occasionally infuriate.Trade Review"In this excellent book, James Wilson has managed to capture both the man and the judge." From the foreword by Rt Hon Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury "easy to read, full of interesting information and very well produced... a readable, honest and accurate portrait of the man and some of his most interesting and significant judgments." The Law Society Gazette "This is not the first book to have considered Denning's career nor is likely to be the last; but, by making full use of archive material in its treatment of Denning's life outside as well as inside the law ...it is for now the best." The Times Literary Supplement "A review of Lord Denning's life and work from a greater distance and perhaps with more rounded perspective than earlier biographies is certainly welcome... provides not only a detailed, insightful, and accessible account of Lord Denning's life and career; it also includes reliably succinct and yet scholarly accounts of his contributions... one can only agree with Lord Neuberger's assessment in the foreword that 'Wilson has managed to capture both the man and the judge'. New Law JournalTable of ContentsLawyers on Lord Denning Lord Denning on Lord Denning Preface Note on Currency Chapter I: Beginnings – From Whitchurch to Oxford Chapter II: The First World War Chapter III: 1920s – From Oxford to the Bar Chapter IV: 1930s – From First Marriage to the Second World War Chapter V: The Second World War Chapter VI: Judicial Beginnings – Wills, Wives and Wrecks Chapter VII: 1945–47 – Second Marriage, Second Judicial Role Chapter VIII: The Court of Appeal Chapter IX: The House of Lords Chapter X: Master of the Rolls – Appointment and Beginnings Chapter XI: Profumo Chapter XII: Master of the Rolls – Travel and Other Engagements Chapter XIII: Master of the Rolls – Pre-trial Remedies Chapter XIV: Master of the Rolls – Common Law Chapter XV: Master of the Rolls – Family Law Chapter XVI: Master of the Rolls – Employment Law Chapter XVII: Master of the Rolls – Public Law Chapter XVIII: Master of the Rolls – Security of the Realm Chapter XIX: Master of the Rolls – A Belated Author Chapter XX: Master of the Rolls – Resignation Chapter XXI: Later Years Chapter XXII: The End Chapter XXIII: A Final Judgment Appendix I: Denning in the Law Reports Appendix II: Societies and Other Organisations Appendix III: Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book Synopsis2022 Hywel Dda Award (University of Wales Literary Awards)A ground-breaking study of the lawbooks which were created in the changing social and political climate of post-conquest Wales.The Middle Ages in Wales were turbulent, with society and culture in constant flux. Edward I of England's 1282 conquest brought with it major changes to society, governance, power and identity, and thereby to the traditional system of the law. Despite this, in the post-conquest period the development of law in Wales and the March flourished, and many manuscripts and lawbooks were created to meet the needs of those who practised law.This study, the first to fully reappraise the entire corpus of law manuscripts since Aneurin Owen's seminal 1841 edition, begins by considering the background to the creation of the law from the earliest period, particularly from c.1100 onwards, before turning to the "golden age" of lawmaking in thirteenth-century Gwynedd. The nature of the law in south Wales is also examined in full, with a particular focus on later developments, including the different use of legal texts in that region and its fourteenth- and fifteenth-century manuscripts. The author approaches medieval Welsh law, its practice, texts and redactions, in their own contexts, rather than through the lens of later historiography. In particular, she shows that much manuscript material previously considered "additional" or "anomalous" in fact incorporates new legal material and texts written for a particular purpose: thanks to their flexible accommodation of change, adjustment and addition, Welsh lawbooks were not just shaped by, but indeed shaped, medieval Welsh law.

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Book SynopsisA rollicking collection of barely believable stories from five centuries of legal history – you’ll be gripped by these tales of murder, intrigue, crime, punishment and the pursuit of justice. Meet the only dead parrot ever to give evidence in a court of law, the doctor with the worst bedside manner of all time, the murderess who collected money from her mummified victim for 21 years, and explore one of the most indigestible dilemmas – if you’d been shipwrecked 2,000 miles from home, would you have eaten Parker the cabin boy? The tales within these pages are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious and, most importantly, true. This brand new edition, redesigned in splendid hardback for 2019, is the perfect gift for lawyers, armchair detectives and true crime aficionados everywhere.

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringFor 30 years, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse chronicled the activities of the U.S. Supreme Court and its justices as a correspondent for the New York Times. In this Very Short Introduction, she draws on her deep knowledge of the court''s history and of its written and unwritten rules to show readers how the Supreme Court really works.Greenhouse offers a fascinating institutional biography of a place and its people--men and women who exercise great power but whose names and faces are unrecognized by many Americans and whose work often appears cloaked in mystery. How do cases get to the Supreme Court? How do the justices go about deciding them? What special role does the chief justice play? What do the law clerks do? How does the court relate to the other branches of government? Greenhouse answers these questions by depicting the justices as they confront deep constitutional issues or wrestle with the meaning of conTrade Review[A] new one-of-a-kind book on the Supreme Court." * SCOTUSblog *Linda Greenhouse has long been one of the most astute observers of the U.S. Supreme Court and most trusted translators of its mysteries and traditions. This elegant and concise guide is invaluable for beginners and veteran court watchers alike. An ideal introduction to the Court for students and citizens of all ages. * Jeffrey Rosen, professor of law, George Washington University, and legal affairs editor, The New Republic *There is hardly anyone in the country, outside the Court, who knows the institution and its practices as well as Linda Greenhouse does. * Melvin I. Urofsky, author of Louis D. Brandeis: A Life *Greenhouse cogently illustrates the history, functions, composition and importance of the Supreme Court. In a slim volume that you can literally carry around in your pocket, you will find a wealth of knowledge." * Yale Daily News *[A]n amuse-bouche of a book . . . short, but pithy. After finishing this book, readers should be inspired to take up [Greenhouse's] implicit invitation to read about the Court and its impact on shaping American law in a more substantial, meatier format. * Judicature *For those interested in how cases come to be heard by the Court, the process leading to a decision and the Court's relationship with the other branches of the federal government and the public, this is an excellent way to begin. * Washington Independent Review of Books *Table of ContentsList of illustrations Acknowledgments 1 Origins 2 The Court at work (1) 3 The justices 4 The chief justice 5 The Court at work (2) 6 The Court and the other branches 7 The Court and the public 8 The Court and the world Appendix 1: U.S. Constitution, Article III Appendix 2: The Supreme Court's rules Appendix 3: Chart of the Justices References Further reading Websites Index

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Book SynopsisFully revised and updated, this classic text provides the authoritative introduction to the history of the English common law. The book traces the development of the principal features of English legal institutions and doctrines from Anglo-Saxon times to the present and, combined with Baker and Milsom''s Sources of Legal History, offers invaluable insights into the development of the common law of persons, obligations, and property, and also of criminal and public law. It is an essential reference point for all lawyers, historians and students seeking to understand the evolution of English law over a millennium. The book provides an introduction to the main characteristics, institutions, and doctrines of English law over the longer term - particularly the evolution of the common law before the extensive statutory changes and regulatory regimes of the last two centuries. It explores how legal change was brought about in the common law and how judges and lawyers managed to square evolutiTable of ContentsPart one 1: Law and Custom before 1066 2: The Common Law of England 3: The Superior Courts of Common Law 4: The Forms of Action 5: The Jury and Pleading 6: The Court of Chancery and Equity 7: The Conciliar Courts 8: The Ecclesiastical Courts 9: Judicial Review of Decisions 10: The Legal Profession 11: Legal Literature 12: Law Making Part two 13: Real Property: Feudal Tenure 14: Real Property: Uses and Fiscal Feudalism 15: Real Property: Inheritance and Estates 16: Real Property: Family Settlements 17: Other Interests in Land 18: Contract: Covenant and Debt 19: Contract: Assumpsit and Deceit 20: Contract: Some Later Developments 21: Quasi-Contract 22: Property in Chattels Personal 23: Negligence 24: Nuisance 25: Defamation 26: Economic Torts 27: Persons: Status and Liberty 28: Persons: Marriage and its Consequences 29: Pleas of the Crown: Criminal Procedure 30: Pleas of the Crown: The Substantive Criminal Law Appendix I Appendix II

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"McCrary casts this complex subject in a new light. Readers will gain valuable insights into the politics of religion in America." * Publisher's Weekly *"McCrary argues that the American legal system has impoverished our idea of religion by equating it with 'sincerely held belief.' In so doing, it has stripped religion of its communal elements. . . This is an essential text for understanding the current struggles over religious freedom." * The Christian Century *"Comprehensive, thought-provoking . . . We should take note of McCrary’s call to interrogate this current legal framework and deconstruct, or at the very least, reexamine, our understanding of religious freedom." * Church & State Magazine / Americans United *"A detailed, but entertaining critical introduction to religion and the First Amendment in the United States . . . highly recommended." * Nova Religio *“Clear and compelling . . . this book is important reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the problems of religious freedom . . . a fascinating contribution to scholarship on secularism in the United States.” * American Religion *"Such an interesting book. A book that really is hard to characterize. It's about religion and law in the US. It's about the history of the sincerity test. It's about secularism and what it means or doesn't mean to be a secular person in what is supposed to be a secular country." * Straight White American Jesus *"A clever, well-crafted account of American secularism, religion, and sincerity. . . McCrary’s writing is a delight to read (as are his many 'sincere' footnotes), and students and scholars from a range of disciplines will find this book to be a highly engaging text, one that is challenging in the best of ways." * Reading Religion *"A sweeping, fascinating and engaging account of how American secularism created the ‘character of the sincere believer’ and cast ‘sincerely held religious belief’ as constitutive of religion in law and the standard by which certain practices are rejected ‘as not truly religious.’ . . . The book may well become indispensable. . . A rich, engrossing, fresh and enlivening addition to the field.” * Journal for the Academic Study of Religion *"Scholars of church and state likely will find the [history of the sincerity test] compelling, as it works through the details of specific court cases to show how 'the sincere believer is an identity, a protected class whose rights are to be secured and defended.'" * Journal of Church and State *"Charles McCrary’s brilliant Sincerely Held shows the declining fortunes of truth and the steadily appreciating value of sincerity to be sides of a single American coin. As the acceptable face of religion under secular law, sincerity severs belief from veracity, hedges it with protections, and exempts it from democratic accountability. McCrary’s genealogy of sincerity moves deftly among con artists, purveyors and suppressors of vice, war resisters, and conscientious objectors to secular law to show sincerely held belief to be a technology of racial governance and an engine of state violence. Remarkably, he excavates from the same history the radical possibility that sincerely held belief might yet be summoned to advance good-faith engagement across differences rather than shut it down. A book of uncommon intelligence, daring, grace, and verve, Sincerely Held is cultural criticism a secular age deserves." -- Tracy Fessenden, Arizona State University"Anyone interested in the politics of U.S. religion must grab a copy of Sincerely Held. Over eight chapters populated with con artists, credulous dupes, earnest petitioners, conscientious objectors, indignant inmates, principled paper-pushers, and discriminating judges, McCrary sketches the multifaceted and mercurial figure of the true believer. And just as the legal category of sincerely held belief imagines a world of external guises and hidden truths, McCrary skillfully balances his main text with illuminating discursive footnotes that both perform and subvert the practices of disclosure he so ably describes. Others have written convincingly about the form of secularism, but McCrary captures its irregularly beating heart." -- Jolyon Thomas, University of Pennsylvania"McCrary’s incisive study of secularism and the secular brings to life the paradoxes of religion and law in the U.S. His colorful characters come from literature, legal proceedings, and even bureaucratic forms to illuminate how sincerity became a legal category and what that means for law’s imagination of religion." -- Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University, BloomingtonThis is a riveting cultural history of that strange and peculiarly American character: the “sincere religious believer.” Indeed, one of the many strengths of this fascinating and utterly persuasive book, is the way Charles McCrary defamiliarizes the secular obviousness of both “sincere believers” and “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Braiding together 19th-century worries over con-men and charlatans with a series of 20th-century legal cases that sought to distinguish the religious from the not-religious, McCrary demonstrates the secular state’s increasing reliance on sincerity—ascertaining it, measuring it—as a way to sort true from false (including the religiously false). In so doing, McCrary reveals religious sincerity’s crucial role in both secular governance and racial formation. At a time when sincerely held religious beliefs are increasingly invoked by Christian conservatives to justify limits on women’s reproductive freedom and LGBTQ+ equality, Sincerely Held is bracing and urgent reading. -- Ann Pellegrini, New York University

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Book SynopsisWhen a young woman killed herself in the office she shared with her employer in 1920s Shanghai, the city reeled in shock. Xi Shangzhen became a symbol of the failures of the Chinese Republic as well as the broken promises of citizens’ rights, gender equality, and financial prosperity that were betokened by liberal democracy and capitalism.Trade ReviewA fascinating and thoughtful analysis of the changing mores of a turbulent but lively period—the early 1920s—in China…The Suicide of Miss Xi is brilliantly written…Some of the pressures on Miss Xi have eerie echoes in today’s China. -- Rana Mitter * The Telegraph (India) *Makes a critical contribution by bringing the economy, market, and capitalism into our understanding of May Fourth politics…[A] rich, nuanced, and engaging book, which reflects both an experienced historian’s deep thinking on modern Chinese history and a comprehensive dialogue with previous scholarship. -- Madeleine Yue Dong * Journal of Asian Studies *Compelling…A rich analysis of 1920s China and its fragile democracy…An invaluable contribution to the literature on the early Chinese republic as she masterfully weaves together an analysis of gender, legal, and economic perspectives…Remarkable in its breadth and depth, Goodman’s study is a significant addition to a growing literature on the early republican era that explores changing notions of citizenship and of the republic itself. -- Susan Fernsebner * Journal of Social History *A remarkably rich and thought-provoking microanalysis of early Republican Shanghai…Goodman challenges us to reread May Fourth lives and fault lines and to rethink the sources and challenges of democratic quests in the past and present…[A] must-read book. -- Ling Ma * Twentieth-Century China *A wonderfully evocative, beautifully written, and deeply researched account of life in 1920s Shanghai that brings together commerce, capitalism, democracy, and the new republic. We meet ambitious new women, scandalous men gambling on stock exchanges, and corrupt warlords pulling the strings of justice from behind the scenes. And throughout it all is the press, not merely as historical source, but as an active player in all that happens. -- Henrietta Harrison, author of The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man’s Life in a North China Village, 1857–1942We will never be certain why Xi Shangzhen killed herself, but in this masterful study Goodman shows what we can learn from her death. Shanghai emerges more complicated than ever, roiled by a 1920s scandal involving office workers, feminists, civic notables, stock-market speculators, journalists, feckless judges, and military men. A flawless work of scholarship and a mesmerizing read. -- Gail Hershatter, author of Women and China’s RevolutionsIn a vivid and compelling book, Goodman uses the workplace suicide of Xi Shangzhen to plumb transforming gender ideals regarding women in the workplace and the greater public realm, the utility and societal effects of financial and commodities markets, and the integrity of the law and the courts. Deeply researched and well written, this is a significant contribution to scholarship on modern Chinese history. -- Peter J. Carroll, author of Between Heaven and Modernity: Reconstructing Suzhou, 1895–1937Through a detailed exploration of the scandalous 1922 suicide of the Shanghai female office worker Xi Shangzhen, this elegantly written book illuminates crucial facets of that strange interregnum in Chinese history when, in the absence of any effective government, a variety of experiments in civic sovereignty were put into practice. Goodman looks at commercial and civic organizations, gender, financial speculation, and a complicated legal system in piecing together the latent democratic possibilities in a space she provocatively calls ‘a public without a republic.’ -- Theodore Huters, author of Bringing the World Home: Appropriating the West in Late Qing and Early Republican ChinaThis fascinating study rewrites the history of Chinese democracy by centering it in a robust public culture of print and civic associations. Extensively researched and eloquently presented, it captures republican articulations of citizenship over thorny issues of women and money. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the elusive conditions of democracy under Chinese capitalism. -- Wen-hsin Yeh, author of Shanghai Splendor: A Cultural History, 1843–1949As its title indicates, this book is about the suicide of Xi Shangzhen…This forgotten event, which Bryna Goodman recovered from extensive archival research, provides a prism through which to understand urban society in Republican China during the late 1910s and early 1920s…Despite the deep engagement with existing histories and theories, Goodman manages to keep the voices of the protagonists at the center of her compelling narrative. -- Limin Teh * Nan Nü *

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Book SynopsisExploring the boundaries of the law as they existed in medieval and early modern times and as they have been perceived by historians, this volume offers a wide ranging insight into a key aspect of European society. Alongside, and inexorably linked with, the ecclesiastical establishment, the law was one of the main social bonds that shaped and directed the interactions of day-to-day life. Posing fascinating conceptual and methodological questions that challenge existing perceptions of the parameters of the law, the essays in this book look especially at the gender divide and conflicts of jurisdiction within an historical context. In addition to seeking to understand the discrete categories into which types of law and legal rules are sometimes placed, consideration is given to the traversing of boundaries, to the overlaps between jurisdictions, and between custom(s) and law(s). In so doing it shows how law has been artificially compartmentalised by historians and lawyers alike, and hoTable of ContentsContents: Introduction, Anthony Musson; Law in the landscape: criminality, outlawry and regional identity in late medieval England, W.M. Ormrod; The geographical and practical legal impact of the Peace of God in 11th century Aquitaine, Thomas Gergen; Sanctuary and penitential rebirth in the central Middle Ages, Trisha Olson; Between theology and popular practice: medieval canonists on magic and impotence, Catherine Rider; Maintenance agreements and male responsibility in late medieval England, Sara M. Butler; Crossing boundaries: attitudes to rape in late medieval England, Anthony Musson; Rethinking incest and heinous sexual crime: changing boundaries of secular and ecclesiastical jurisdiction in late medieval Sweden, Mia Korpiola; Rules for solving conflicts of law in the Middle Ages: part of the solution, part of the problem, Dirk Heirbaut; The geographical, jurisdictional and jurisprudential boundaries of English litigation in the early 17th century, Louis A. Knafla; Jurisdictional competition and the evolution of the common law: an hypothesis, Daniel Klerman; English legal history and interdisciplinary legal studies, Jonathan Rose; Index.

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Book SynopsisThe articles in this volume deal with subjects which have received relatively little attention from students of the Byzantine empire. The studies are concerned with aspects of the law, both civil and canon, and with the kinship ties formed through godparenthood, adoption and marriage by the emperor and his subjects, the considerations which contributed to their creation and the significance of these ties for those who contracted them. The common theme linking the studies on kinship and justice is an interest in determining how the law worked. Using legal commentaries, notarial formulae, court case transcripts and literary sources, the author attempts to reveal contemporary practices in court procedure, in crime detection and punishment, in legal teaching and argumentation. The studies examine technical aspects of the law such as its promulgation and dissemination, and the interaction of civil and canon law, but also the wider influence of the law on literary culture.Table of ContentsContents: The Byzantine godfather; Kinship by arrangement: the case of adoption; Substitute parents and their children in Byzantium; Dynastic marriages and political kinship; Dowry and inheritance in the late period: some cases from the Patriarchal register; Nomos and kanon on paper and in court; Perception of the past in the twelfth-century canonists; The competent court; Justice under Manuel I Komnenos: four novels on court business and murder; Killing, asylum and the law in Byzantium; Poetic justice in the Patriarchate: murder and cannibalism in the provinces; Bad historian or good lawyer? Demetrios Chomatenos and Novel 131; Index of Greek terms; Index.

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Book SynopsisThe essays in this volume constitute a series of investigations into the limitations on thought and power as conceived by thinkers in the medieval West and they draw on material ranging from law to literature. The author deals with limits on the human desire for knowledge, the passion with which knowledge could legitimately be pursued, and the propriety of the knowledge sought, as well as the limits that might be tolerable and tolerated in the case of royal incapacity or misbehaviour. One particular focus is the work of Dante Alighieri, and these ideas are traced across a wide range of his thought. Chronologically the essays run from Augustine and the Gnostics through to Shakespeare.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction; The Vices and Virtues of Curiosity: What was God doing before He created the Heavens and the Earth?; Aenigma Salomonis: Manichaean anti-Genesis polemic and the vitium curiositatis in Confessions III.6; Transgressing the limits set by the Fathers: authority and impious exegesis in medieval thought; Libertas inquirendi and the vitium curiositatis in medieval thought; Rex curiosus: a preface to Prospero; Useless Kings and Irregular Statebuilding: Roi fainéant: the origins of an historian's commonplace; Rex inutilis: Sancho II of Portugal and 13th-century deposition theory; Non legitur in historia Francorum: Stephen of Tournai, the last Merovingians, and the Capetian dynasty; Henry II of Cyprus, rex inutilis: a footnote to Decameron I.9; Limits of Thought and Power in the World of Dante: The failure of the Church and Empire: Paradiso, 30; I principi negligenti di Dante e la concezione medioevale del rex inutilis; Pars, parte: Dante and an urban contribution to political thought; The frowning pages: Scythians, Garamantes, Florentines, and the two laws; Human diversity and civil society in Paradiso, VIII; The shadowy, violent perimeter: Dante enters Florentine political life; The voyage of Ulysses and the wisdom of Solomon: Dante and the vitium curiositatis; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book, the first comprehensive study of criminal speech in eighteenth-century New England, traces how the criminalization, prosecution, and punishment of speech offenses in Massachusetts helped to establish and legitimate a social and cultural regime of politeness. Analyzing provincial statutes and hundreds of criminal prosecutions, Kristin A. Olbertson argues that colonists transformed their understanding of speech offenses, from fundamentally ungodly to primarily impolite. As white male gentility emerged as the pre-eminent model of authority, records of criminal prosecution and punishment show a distinct cadre of politely pious men defining themselves largely in contrast to the vulgar, the impious, and the unmanly. Law, as manifested in statutes as well as in local courts and communities, promoted and legitimized a particular, polite vision of the king''s peace and helped effectuate the British Empire. In this unique and fascinating work, Olbertson reveals how ordinary people intTrade Review'Olbertson reveals how, prior to the Revolution, prosecution of speech misbehavior increasingly marked the boundaries between the refined and the vulgar. Convictions (and acquittals) for threats, contempt, defamation, and false reports distinguished the 'lower sort' from their 'betters'. Slowly but surely, Massachusetts judges and juries gave greater weight to sensibility, civility, and credibility as markers of distinction, while moving away from prosecuting sinful speech and toward defining genteel masculinity. A tour de force.' Sally E. Hadden, Western Michigan University'Olbertson builds on two generations of scholarship that have taught us to understand New England's legal culture as enmeshed with English notions of hierarchy. She transforms our understanding by her relentless and pointed focus on the ways speech offences were, for a time at least, integral to governance. A witty and beautifully researched study of how, in a time and place that prized sincerity and restraint and deference, noise and irreverence were everywhere.' Hendrik Hartog, author of The Trouble with Minna: A Case of Slavery and Emancipation in the Antebellum North'Kristin Olbertson has given us a wide-ranging, wonderfully textured, and deeply insightful exploration of how generations of elites in early Massachusetts reinforced their identity and patrolled the boundaries of the status they claimed by criminalizing the speech of people they deemed their inferiors or who might challenge their authority. The Dreadful Word is a masterly accomplishment that teaches us not simply to see the past with new understanding, but to hear it, as well.' Bruce H. Mann, Harvard Law School'Through her careful and perceptive scholarship Kristin Olbertson has deepened our knowledge of law as an instrument for maintaining social, gender, and racial hierarchies in the eighteenth century.' Lyndsay Campbell, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice BooksTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. A politer peace; 3. Sensibility; 4. Civility; 5. Credibility; 6. Cacophony; 7. Respectability; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book studies the social consequences of bureaucratic and scientific change during the transition to modern states and societies in the Age of Enlightenment, as it explores how the Habsburg Empire deployed new ways and means to integrate existing structures into supra-regional systems of order.Exemplarily focused on Lower Austria, the book ties together the bustling imperial capital of Vienna and its hinterlands, where there was little economic, political, and social change before 1850. Previously unused archival materials such as administrative paperwork and printed wanted notes, in combination with published educational and legal texts, allow for the analysis of how bureaucratic procedures, social norms, and scientific change contributed to increasing exchange between Vienna, regional hubs such as Krems and Zwettl, and individual seigneurial holdings. Conceiving of these dynamics as a patchwork-in-progress, this study investigates state-making dynamics by transposing ce

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Book SynopsisThis book examines one of the most fundamental issues in twelfth-century English politics: justice. It demonstrates that during the foundational period for the common law, the question of judgement and judicial ethics was a topic of heated debate – a common problem with multiple different answers. How to be a judge, and how to judge well, was a concern shared by humble and high, keeping both kings and parish priests awake at night. Using theological texts, sermons, legal treatises and letter collections, the book explores how moralists attempted to provide guidance for uncertain judges. It argues that mercy was always the most difficult challenge for a judge, fitting uncomfortably within the law and of disputed value. Shining a new light on English legal history, Justice and mercy reveals the moral dilemmas created by the establishment of the common law.Trade Review‘Justice and Mercy is a remarkable book…the book resounds with the historiographic traditions and conflicts among the different schools of legal history and of intellectual history, both in Britain and on the continent. While the author is obviously well aware of them, she manages to avoid the pitfalls of adding to these ongoing conflicts.’Esther Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Medieval Review -- .Table of ContentsPrologue: the vanishing adulteress1 Introduction2 The problem with mercy: the schools3 The problem with mercy: the courts4 Twelfth-century models of justice and mercy5 Who should be merciful?6 Judgement in practice: the Church7 Histories of justice: the crown, persuasion and lordship8 Love your enemies? Popular mercy in a vengeance culture9 ConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the powerful influence of civil law on understandings and responses to madness in England and in New Jersey. The influence of civil law on the history of madness has not hitherto been of major academic investigation. This body of law, established and developed over a five hundred year period, greatly influenced how those from England’s propertied classes understood and responded to madness. Moreover, the civil law governing the response to madness in England was successfully exported into several of its colonies, including New Jersey. Drawing on a well-preserved and rare collection of trials in lunacy in New Jersey, this book reveals the important ties of civil law, local custom and perceptions of madness in transatlantic perspectives. This book will be highly relevant to scholars interested in law, medicine, psychiatry and madness studies, as well as contemporary issues in mental capacity and guardianship.Trade Review'James Moran has provided an important addition to the historiography of psychiatry and mental health provision in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His new book contributes significantly to shifting the historical emphasis away from asylums and towards extra-institutional approaches to the card of the insane.'Social History of Medicine'Madness on Trial, introduces a ‘treasure trove’ of an alternative archive, in the form of documents relating to civil proceedings in lunacy from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century New Jersey. [it] is a welcome addition to the history of mental illness, and is a very useful and accessible work for anyone interested in mental health law and community or family practices of care.'Journal of The Historical Association'This is an excellent book: it offers a rich and deep inquiry into the legal and transatlantic histories of lunacy across place and space, also illuminating imperial legal practices around insanity. Moran’s original history provides a new set of insights into the interpretation of insanity through laws, the way law was used by different people, and the translation of imperial law into colonial contexts. This has not been achieved for the transatlantic historical site in such a deliberate and detailed way before now [...] Moran’s historical work is innovative. He makes a variety of new statements of method, purpose, evidence, and interpretation in and across legal and asylum histories. This field of madness, insanity, families, and institutions has a deep and sustained readership and continues to garner interest among students and researchers. Moran’s book also traverses multiple fields and readers, and will bring legal-historical methods and ideas to a wider audience.'Canadian Bulletin of Medical History'Madness on Trial thus offers a rich history of lunacy investigation law as well as points to new resources for scholars studying madness, mental health, and civil law in the pre-asylum era.'William J. Ryan, Journal of Early American History -- .Table of ContentsList of tablesAcknowledgments1 Introduction: civil law and madness in transatlantic context2 Suing for a lunatic: lunacy investigation law, 1320-18903 Indefinite mental states: negotiating the legal definition of madness4 Trials of madness: family struggles over property in England5 Care and protection: managing madness in England 6 Atlantic crossing: lunacy law as colonial inheritance7 Family, friends and neighbours: localizing madness in New Jersey8 Asylum in the community: managing madness in New Jersey 9 Orders in lunacy: lunacy investigation law and the asylum reconsidered10 ConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BLOODY SCOTLAND DEBUT PRIZE 2022'Beautifully written and a real page turner -a wonderful insight into the early quest to understand and give a voice to people who cannot hear. ' Elisabeth Gifford 'A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds of smells of 1817 urban Scotland.' Sally Magnusson 'told with great empathy and heart' Guinevere Glasfurd'A striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past' Zoë Strachan'skilfully combines crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth' The TimesIn the burgeoning industrial city of Glasgow in 1817 Jean Campbell - a young, Deaf woman - is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge.No evidence is yielded from the river. Unable to communicate with their silent prisoner, the authorities move Jean to the decaying Edinburgh Tolbooth in order to prise the story from her. The High Court calls in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution, in the hope that he will interpret for them and determine if Jean is fit for trial. If found guilty she faces one of two fates; death by hanging or incarceration in an insane asylum.Through a process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Robert gains her trust, Jean confides in him, and Robert begins to uncover the truth, moving uneasily from interpreter to investigator, determined to clear her name before it is too late.Based on a landmark case in Scottish legal history Hear No Evil is a richly atmospheric exploration of nineteenth-century Edinburgh and Glasgow at a time when progress was only on the horizon. A time that for some who were silenced could mean paying the greatest price. Trade ReviewA striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past, illuminating a fascinating corner of history by revealing its lost voices and contemporary resonance. Smith's evocative storytelling and willingness to probe the murkier reaches of the human psyche make her a talent to watch! * Zoë Strachan *A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds and smells of urban Scotland in 1817. * Sally Magnusson *I loved Hear No Evil, beautifully written and a real page turner with characters whose company I enjoyed greatly. It evoked the Edinburgh of that time brilliantly and vividly and gave such a wonderful insight into the early quest to understand and give a voice to people who cannot hear. The historical evocation of Edinburgh and the dramatic murder story were both so well done and so rewarding. * Elisabeth Gifford *A compelling and thoughtful exploration of a deaf woman's struggle for justice in Regency-era Scotland * Rebecca Netley, author of THE WHISTLING *'Fascinating... gripped me from start to finish' * Westender Magazine *A richly evocative telling. You can almost smell the reek of the old Edinburgh streets. Feel the brutality and inhumanity of it all... A gentle read that belies its power. A stylish murder mystery illuminating a fascinating corner of history. * C&B News *In Sarah Smith's debut, Hear No Evil, Robert Kinniburgh, a teacher at Edinburgh's Deaf and Dumb Institution, is summoned to one of the city's jails, where an unusual prisoner awaits interrogation. Jean Campbell, a deaf woman, is accused of drowning her child, but communication with her has been impossible. Kinniburgh, who employs a form of sign language, becomes the means by which she can tell her story, and slowly the complex reality of what happened emerges. Based on a case from Scottish legal history, Smith's novel skilfully combines crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth. * The Times *Dramatic and evocative . . . a stunning debut * Dumfries & Galloway Life *

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law provides an authoritative and original overview of the origins, concepts, and core issues of international law. The first comprehensive Handbook on the history of international law, it is a truly unique contribution to the literature of international law and relations. Pursuing both a global and an interdisciplinary approach, the Handbook brings together some sixty eminent scholars of international law, legal history, and global history from all parts of the world. Covering international legal developments from the 15th century until the end of World War II, the Handbook consists of over sixty individual chapters which are arranged in six parts. The book opens with an analysis of the principal actors in the history of international law, namely states, peoples and nations, international organisations and courts, and civil society actors. Part Two is devoted to a number of key themes of the history of international law, such as peace and war, the sovereignty of states, hegemony, religion, and the protection of the individual person. Part Three addresses the history of international law in the different regions of the world (Africa and Arabia, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean, Europe), as well as ''encounters'' between non-European legal cultures (like those of China, Japan, and India) and Europe which had a lasting impact on the body of international law. Part Four examines certain forms of ''interaction or imposition'' in international law, such as diplomacy (as an example of interaction) or colonization and domination (as an example of imposition of law). The classical juxtaposition of the civilized and the uncivilized is also critically studied. Part Five is concerned with problems of the method and theory of history writing in international law, for instance the periodisation of international law, or Eurocentrism in the traditional historiography of international law. The Handbook concludes with a Part Six, entitled People in Portrait, which explores the life and work of twenty prominent scholars and thinkers of international law, ranging from Muhammad al-Shaybani to Sir Hersch Lauterpacht.The Handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of international law. It provides historians with new perspectives on international law, and increases the historical and cultural awareness of scholars of international law. It is the standard reference work for the global history of international law.Trade ReviewThe Handbook on the History of International Law is an excellent and up-to-date contribution to a broad topic that has increasingly attracted the interest of academia in the last years. The editors certainly succeeded in bringing together a broad range of renowned experts on the various fi elds covered. It certainly deserves its place in the bookshelves of any international lawyers library. * Ralph Janik, Austrian Review of International and European Law Online *Shelley's interlocutor in Ozymandias paints a bleak picture of the fate which has befallen the Pharaoh's statue: 'Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away ' ... Thanks to interventions such as those organised by Fassbender and Peters in this excellent volume, the historians of international law need not fear such a fate befalling their discipline-indeed, its future has never seemed brighter or more vibrant. * Cameron A. Miles, The British Yearbook of International Law *By any measure, the book is a substantial achievement, and it will be widely and rewardingly consulted for many years to come. * Jacob Katz Cogan, University of Cincinnati, American Journal of International Law *Impressive and timely volume * Rose Parfitt, Global Law Books *The volume does a marvelous job of hemming the topic in, but pays a price for its breadth and the erudition of its contributors by leaving the reader ungratefully greedy for further contextualization and (historical) policy detail - sparking this hunger in the reader though is a true vindication of a handbook of this sort. * Wouter P. F. Schmit Jongbloed, ASIL Cables *The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law innovatively and comprehensively provides a timely and ambitious global history of international law from the sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Under the skilled editorship of Bardo Fassbender and Anne Peters, the contributors, experts who themselves come from all parts of the world, present a history that imagines international law as the product of different regions, cultures, actors, and eras. Setting a new agenda for the field, the Handbook will be the indispensable starting point for students and researchers exploring the history of international law. * ASIL Award Citation *There is no doubt that The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law will become what editors and authors intended," the new standard reference work for the global history of international law," provides the reader with a broad spectrum of useful information on a high level which is not easily assembled. * Karl Heinz Ziegler, German Yearbook of International Law *Table of ContentsPART ONE: ACTORS; PART TWO: THEMES; PART THREE: REGIONS; I. AFRICA AND ARABIA; II. ASIA; III. THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN; IV. EUROPE; V. ENCOUNTERS; PART FOUR: INTERACTION OR IMPOSITION; PART FIVE: METHODOLOGY AND THEORY; PART SIX: PEOPLE IN PORTRAIT

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Book SynopsisDavid Kennedy and Martti Koskenniemi, two leading critics of law’s role in global life, join together to explore the origins and destiny of efforts to build law into the fabric of global life. Erudite, open-minded, and at times personal, Of Law and the World is a poignant conversation about humanity’s struggle to live together.Trade ReviewOver the last four decades, David Kennedy and Martti Koskenniemi have occupied a unique space that was, simultaneously, at the top of the international law world and on its cutting edge. This book offers an enthralling tour of the intellectual and professional world they inhabited and sought to disrupt. A front-row seat to a fireside chat about how to plot critique. -- Vasuki Nesiah, New York UniversityIn their engrossing exchanges about the deepest problems in their field, David Kennedy and Martti Koskenniemi continue to exemplify international legal theory in the least pretentious and most productive sense. Though entitled to review their accomplishments, they realize they are just at the start of making sense of what international law is and what it does—and generously take the reader with them on a journey that matters to everyone. -- Samuel Moyn, Yale UniversityRich and revealing dialogues between two grand figures of North Atlantic international legal scholarship who have been friends and colleagues for almost four decades. Kennedy and Koskenniemi illuminate their separate trajectories, common projects, and intellectual and personal influences. Their lively conversations are also disarming as a chronicle of a critical generation in international law. -- Hilary Charlesworth, Melbourne Law SchoolAn exhilarating gaze across the world—uniquely insightful, challenging, and provocative. -- Philippe Sands, University College LondonThe conversation you’ve always hoped to overhear. Of Law and the World offers the followers and critics of Martti Koskenniemi and David Kennedy, two of the most influential international legal scholars of our time, the rare experience of being a fly on the wall of their virtual living room. -- Doreen Lustig, Tel Aviv UniversityThis is revelatory stuff, chock-full of insight, inspiration, humanity, and rage. -- Susan Marks, London School of Economics and Political Science

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Book SynopsisThe commonly held view about English administrative law is that it is of recent origin, with some dating it from the mid-20th century and some venturing back to the late 19th century. English Administrative Law from 1550: Continuity and Change upends this conventional thinking, charting its development from the mid-16th century with an in-depth examination of administrative law doctrine based on primary legal materials, statute, and case law. This book is divided into four parts. Part 1 sets out the book''s principal thesis, contrasting standard perceptions concerning the existence of English administrative law with the reality of its emergence from the mid-16th century. Part 2 is concerned with Regulation and Administration from the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century. There is detailed analysis of the regulatory and administrative state, which includes chapters on the way in which administrative policy was developed through individual decision-making and rulemaking, and t

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Book SynopsisAn account of a fundamental change in American legal thought, from a conception of law as something found in nature to one in which law is entirely a human creation.Before the late 19th century, natural law played an important role in the American legal system. Lawyers routinely used it in their arguments and judges often relied upon it in their opinions. Today, by contrast, natural law plays virtually no role in the legal system. When natural law was part of a lawyer''s toolkit, lawyers thought of judges as finders of the law, but when natural law dropped out of the legal system, lawyers began thinking of judges as makers of the law instead.In The Decline of Natural Law, the eminent legal historian Stuart Banner explores the causes and consequences of this change. To do this, Banner discusses the ways in which lawyers used natural law and why the concept seemed reasonable to them. He further examines several long-term trends in legal thought that weakened the position of natural law, including the use of written constitutions, the gradual separation of the spheres of law and religion, the rapid growth of legal publishing, and the position of natural law in some of the 19th century''s most contested legal issues. And finally, he describes both the profession''s rejection of natural law in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the ways in which the legal system responded to the absence of natural law.The first book to explain how natural law once worked in the American legal system, The Decline of Natural Law offers a unique look into how and why this major shift in legal thought happened, and focuses, in particular, on the shift from the idea that law is something we find to something we make.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Before the Transition Chapter 1: The Law of Nature Chapter 2: The Common Law Part II: Causes of the Transition Chapter 3: The Adoption of Written Constitutions Chapter 4: The Separation of Law and Religion Chapter 5: The Explosion in Law Publishing Chapter 6: The Two-Sidedness of Natural Law Part III: The Transition and After Chapter 7: The Decline of Natural Law and Custom Chapter 8: Substitutes for Natural Law Chapter 9: Echoes of Natural Law Index

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Book SynopsisPolicing Women examines for the first time the changing historical landscape of women's experiences of their contact with the official state police between 1800 and 1950 in the Western world.Drawing on and going beyond existing knowledge about policing practices, the volume discusses how women encountered the official police, how they experienced that contact, and the outcomes of that contact in the modern Western world. In so doing, it is an original and much needed addition to the literature around changes in policing, women's experiences of the criminal justice system, and women's experiences of control and regulation. The chapters uncover such experiences in a range of countries across Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia. Importantly, the collection focuses upon a crucial epoch in the history of policing a 150-year period when policing was rapidly changing and being increasingly placed on a formal level. Bringing together scholarly work from expert contributoTrade Review"As the position of women in the world undergoes perhaps more scrutiny than ever, there isn't a better time to situate the present through an analysis of the past. Policing Women shines an important light on women's actual experiences of being policed across the Western world. These fascinating histories (all based upon original empirical research) serve to illuminate issues around power, identity and control, yet also dispel many of the complacent assumptions about gender and offending." Dr. Sarah Charman, University of Portsmouth"This volume is a valuable and multifaceted analysis of how women actually behaved versus expectations of how women should behave, and of the diverse and sometimes contradictory ways that police officers treated women in relation to those expectations. It balances legal analysis and statistics with lively and illuminating examples of brawling, insults, and thefts. The authors make detailed and significant use of local and regional records."Professor Joanne Klein, Boise State UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction SECTION 1: Gender, Attitudes and Policing 1. Policing women in urban Scotland c.1890-1950LOUISE JACKSON AND RIAN SUTTON2. Policing women and girls in Canada from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth CenturyTAMARA MYERS3. Policing Australian Women: beyond Sex and SecretsALANA PIPERSECTION 2: Space, Place and Social Control4. The policing of female drunkenness in two northern English boroughs, c.1869-1875CRAIG STAFFORD5. The policing of women in the northwest of England, 1856-1901GUY WOOLNOUGH6. Women, police, and social control in Bologna between the eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centurySANNE MUURLING7. ‘A Very Friendly Feeling Which is Perfectly Natural’: police and sex workers in progressive era BaltimoreKATIE M. HEMPHILL SECTION 3: Police Culture, Practice and Identity 8. ‘It would be a great evil to let so bad a Character … go at large’: convict women and the Irish police, the 1860s-1900ELAINE FARRELL9. Character and crime: police classification of female offenders in late nineteenth century EnglandJO TURNER10. ‘I don’t care about you, I’ll write to the procurer!’ Women’s threats, insults, and violence against policemen, 1863-1913MARION PLUSKOTA SECTION 4: Mobility, Migration and Race11. Policing migrant women: patterns of mobility, control and expulsion in the German Empire, 1870-1914BEATE ALTHAMMER12. Policing emancipation: white law enforcer sexual violence against Black women in the reconstruction US South, 1865-1877ELIZABETH M. BARNES13. ‘Where are the Race Police Women?’ African American policewomen in the Black press and on the beat in early twentieth-century AmericaELIZABETH EVENS Conclusion

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Book SynopsisBringing the history of criminological thought alive through a collection of fascinating life stories, this book covers a range of historical and contemporary thinkers from around the world, offering a stimulating combination of biographical fact with historical and cultural context. Trade Review'This entry in the "Routledge Key Guides" series places a human face on the study of criminology through thoughtful "intellectual biographies" of the discipline's top international theorists from the 18th through the late 20th century.The theoreticians emerge as groundbreaking human beings in six-page essays written by a distinguished group of 54 contributors drawn from the ranks of an international faculty of criminologists, sociologists, and historians.What emerges...is an invaluable reference work.' – D. K. Frasier, Indiana University--Bloomington, USA'Every entry that I have read so far has provided precisely the right balance of contextualizing biography and critical appraisal of the thinker’s work. Everyentry invites the reader to dive more deeply into the work of these key contributors to criminology. This is a book that will tempt not just new students, but experienced practitioners and academics into new kinds of engagements with this ‘rendezvous discipline'. – Fergus McNeill, University of Glasgow, Probation Journal, UKTable of ContentsCesare Beccaria; Howard Becker; Jeremy Bentham; Willem Bonger; John Braithwaite; Susan Brownmiller; Pat Carlen; Bill Chambliss; Meda Chesney-Lind; Nils Christie; Ron Clarke; Albert Cohen; Stan Cohen; Richard Cloward; Donald Cressey; Elliott Currie; W. E. B. DuBois; Emile Durkheim; David Farrington; Enrico Ferri; Michel Foucault; David Garland; Erving Goffman; Eleanor Glueck/the Gluecks; Stuart Hall; Frances Heidensohn; Travis Hirschi; Louk Hulsman; John Irwin; Peter Kropotkin; Ed Lemert; Cesare Lombroso; Joan McCord; Karl Marx; Thomas Mathiesen; David Matza; Robert Merton; Walter Miller; Rosa del Olmo; Robert Park; Adolphe de Quetelet; Robert Sampson; The Schwendingers; Thorstein Sellin; Clifford Shaw; Carol Smart; Edwin Sutherland; Gresham Sykes; James Q Wilson; Jock Young

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Book SynopsisIn the wrong hands, math can be deadly. Even the simplest numbers can become powerful forces when manipulated by politicians or the media, but in the case of the law, your liberty,and your life,can depend on the right calculation.In Math on Trial , mathematicians Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez describe ten trials spanning from the nineteenth century to today, in which mathematical arguments were used,and disastrously misused,as evidence. They tell the stories of Sally Clark, who was accused of murdering her children by a doctor with a faulty sense of calculation of nineteenth-century tycoon Hetty Green, whose dispute over her aunt''s will became a signal case in the forensic use of mathematics and of the case of Amanda Knox, in which a judge''s misunderstanding of probability led him to discount critical evidence,which might have kept her in jail. Offering a fresh angle on cases from the nineteenth-century Dreyfus affair to the murder trial of Dutch nurse Lucia de Berk, Schneps and Colmez show how the improper application of mathematical concepts can mean the difference between walking free and life in prison.A colourful narrative of mathematical abuse, Math on Trial blends courtroom drama, history, and math to show that legal expertise isn''t always enough to prove a person innocent.Trade ReviewBBC Focus (UK) "[Math on Trial] has all the marks of a good mystery: tense conflicts, diverse characters and shock conclusions...Numerical errors are not unique to the courtroom: similar issues crop up elsewhere in life, which makes this book's message all the more important. Gripping and insightful, it successfully highlights the dangers of carelessly sprinkling mathematics over real-world problems." Washington Independent Review of Books "Schneps and Colmez's clever use of headline-grabbing case studies and digestible explanations of mathematical problems combine to argue for the careful use of numbers by advocates and lay juries alike. Their warnings remain relevant today as courtrooms face greater use of DNA evidence and other sophisticated forensic technologies." MAA Reviews "The authors shine, and the dramatic presentation [of the court cases] will grip many readers... [Math on Trial] stimulates both thought and interest...Engaging reading." Publishers Weekly "An entertaining tour of courtroom calculations gone wrong... The cases they describe are independently interesting, and the mathematical overlay makes them doubly so... As the problems are unraveled and the correct analyses explained, readers will enjoy a satisfying sense of discovery. Schneps and Colmez write with lucidity and an infectious enthusiasm, making this an engaging and unique blend of true crime and mathematics." Kirkus Reviews "Fill[ed] with wonderful accounts of frauds and forgeries involving the likes of Charles Ponzi, Hetty Green and Alfred Dreyfus...the authors' analysis of the recent Amanda Knox case [is] particularly chilling... [Math on Trial is] intrinsically fascinating in its depiction of the frailty of human judgments." Steven Strogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University, and author of The Joy of x "Taut and gripping, Math on Trial just might establish a new genre, in which true crime story meets the best of popular science. Utterly absorbing from start to finish."

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Book SynopsisRenisa Mawani charts the story of the Komagata Maru—a steamship that left Hong Kong for Vancouver in 1914 carrying 376 Punjabi immigrants who were denied entry into Canada—to illustrate imperialism's racial, legal, spatial, and temporal dynamics and how oceans operate as sites of jurisdictional and colonial contest.Trade Review"Across Oceans of Law is complex, comprehensively researched, and engagingly presented. . . . Each of the four chapters presents a unique perspective on thinking about the diverse and significant themes found in the examination of the changing development of maritime jurisprudence and evolving interpretation of the freedom of the sea, changing definitions of the legal nature of a ship, the status of colonial subjects, anticolonial restrictions on immigration, and the career of Gurdit Singh. . . . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." -- P. D. Thomas * Choice *"Renisa Mawani has written a beautifully conceived, deeply researched, and elegantly argued book that all of us should read." -- Fahad Bishara * H-Diplo, H-Net Reviews *"Across Oceans of Law is much more than an account of yet another dark chapter in Canadian and British imperial history. . . . Fresh and compelling. . . . Straightforward in its ingenuity and genuinely convincing in its execution. Indeed, there is here an elegance in the delivery of the core idea." -- Jen Hendry * LSE Review of Books *"Across Oceans of Law follows a breathtaking scalar approach attentive to the hierarchies of race, time, and jurisdiction, while narrating a microhistorical story of Komagata Maru’s transoceanic travel to recover oceans as 'vibrant spaces of law, politics and poetics' (236). It is a beautifully written, richly documented, and theoretically sophisticated study that connects the dense imperial, legal, and maritime histories with global histories of time from the perspective of a ship steered by a colonial subject during the heyday of anticolonialism." -- Debjani Bhattacharyya * Law and History Review *"This impressively researched and theoretically sophisticated book will profoundly transform the ways in which scholars of migration, empire, and anticolonialism approach their work." -- Seema Sohi * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *"What makes the book particularly valuable are the questions that it raises about freedom and movement, questions that are timely, especially given the manifold migration crises taking place around the globe today. Thus, for scholars who wish to better understand contemporary concerns around migration and race, Mawani's book is certainly a good resource." -- Alia Somani * The Historian *"It is…impossible not to appreciate the urgent contemporary relevance and resonance of the 'ocean as method' from the outset of Mawani's text." -- Honni Van Rijswik and Anthea Vogl * Law and Critique *"By requiring scholars to think thematically, narratively, connectedly, vertically, temporally, and non-foundationally, Across Oceans of Law provides stimulating conceptual tools for applications in contexts beyond the voyage of the Komagata Maru, and beyond the seas." -- Jennifer Hendry * Journal of Law and Society *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction. Currents and Countercurrents of Law and Radicalism 1 1. The Free Sea: A Juridical Space 35 2. The Ship as Legal Person 73 3. Land, Sea, and Subjecthood 115 4. Anticolonial Vernaculars of Indigeneity 152 5. The Fugitive Sojourns of Gurdit Singh 188 Epilogue. Race, Jurisdiction, and the Free Sea Reconsidered 231 Notes 241 Bibliography 293 Index 319

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Book SynopsisThis popular guide to the Inns of Court, now approaching its fortieth year in print, offers an easy to use and portable reference aid. Timâs lively writing style invites further investigation and gently encourages the reader to delve more deeply into the histories and occasional mysteries of these fascinating enclaves of legal learning.Table of ContentsLAWYERS IN ENGLAND THOROUGHFARES THE TEMPLE TEMPLE CHURCH MIDDLE TEMPLE INNER TEMPLE LINCOLN'S INN LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS GRAY'S INN

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Book Synopsis'A Victorian Tragedy', for the first time, describes how the landmark court case of Banks v Goodfellow (1870) came about, what happened to the protagonists and how an enlightened judgment provided a practical definition of testamentary capacity that has since been used throughout the common law world law.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One - Who was John Banks the Elder? Chapter Two - John Banks the Elder: His Life, Illness and Death Chapter Three - The Wills of John Banks the Elder Chapter Four - Margaret Banks Goodfellow: The Niece and Beneficiary of the Last Will Chapter Five - The Trials of the Will Chapter Six - John Banks the Younger: The Claimant Chapter Seven - Edward Barron Goodfellow: The Defendant Chapter Eight - The Questions that still Remain Appendix I -Information Appendix II - Biographical Sketches of the Judges and Principal Barristers Appendix III -The Judgment in Queen’s Bench Endnotes Index

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Book SynopsisOver a century ago the United States Supreme Court decided the “Insular Cases,” which limited the applicability of constitutional rights in Puerto Rico and other overseas territories. Essays in Reconsidering the Insular Cases examine the history and legacy of these cases and explore possible solutions for the dilemmas they created.

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