About this title: In this brilliant and immensely readable book, Lawrence M. Friedman tells the whole fascinating story of American law from its beginnings in the colonies to the present day. By showing how close the life of the law is to the economic and political life of the country, he makes a complex subject understandable and engrossing. "A History of American Law" presents the achievements and failures of the American legal system in the context of America's commercial and working world, family practices, and attitudes toward property, government, crime, and justice.
Description: Very Good. 0671212265 Condition: VERY GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, cover wear, name written inside cover, light underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, etc. Overall, the book is in solid shape. This is a blanket description. Please email us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week of your request). read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0671212265 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. HC with dj; dj has some nicks and water stain; back cover water stained; pages are clean throughout, VG condition with very minor water stain in index pages. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780671815912ISBN:0671815911
Description: Fair. 1986; Hardcover; No notes/hiliting; Clean pages; Lightly edgeworn dustcover; No dog-ears; Strong binding; multiple small tears along edge of dustcover; cover and page edges are lightly soiled. read more
Description: Good. 0684869888 Book could have shelf wear, or a bump, or sunfade to edges. These are new unread books from the publisher with one of these conditions. See are feedback as customers are satisfied in how we grade our books. Has remainder mark. Fast shipping and customer service is our number 1 priority! read more
Description: Reader copy. Ex-Public Library. BINDING REPAIRED. PAGE EDGES MAY MISMATCH. COVERS SHOW HEAVY WEAR. Library stamps & stickers. SAVE A TREE-BUY USED! ! read more
Description: Friedman, Lawrence M. A History of American Law. New York: Simon and Schuster, [1973]. 655 pp. Cloth, in a worn dust jacket. Remainder mark on bottom edge. read more
Edition: Third Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: c1973
Description: Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket. Indexed, 656 pages. A nice clean, bright, solid copy, in a bright dustajcket, in a new clear mylar DJ cover. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
Date Published: 1973
ISBN-13:9780671212261ISBN:0671212265
Description: Very Good/Very Good. . Hardcover, very good condition, w. v. ltly slanted, ltly compressed sp, ltly bumped corners. Ltly tanned p. edges. Clean, tight, unmarked. Dj very good--possibly v. ltly tanned--ltly rubbed, w. sme lt marks and scuffs. Scratch on fr. In n. mylar Brodart jacket. read more
Description: Very good. Simon and Schuster, 1973, 1st printing, a nice used hardcover in a vg+/unclipped dj, no owner's mark or underlining, tight. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Date Published: 2005-03-15
ISBN-13:9780684869889ISBN:0684869888
Description: New. NEW hardcover book-pages are clean and binding is secure. Dust jacket is in good overall shape with mild shelf wear. Orders packed carefully and shipped daily with tracking # emailed to you. read more
Description: Very Good. Touchstone Books TPB, 1985, 16th printing. Lightly used, clean, minor wear cover and corners, no highlighting, name blacked out on IFC. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 1973
ISBN-13:9780671212261ISBN:0671212265
Description: Ex-library; 1st Printing; Very Good-/ Very Good-DustJacket in mylar plastic cover; Usual ex-library markings; 655 pages. ISBN 0671212265. Clean reading copy. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Touchstone Books
Date Published: 2005-03-15
ISBN-13:9780684869889ISBN:0684869888
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780684869889. read more
"Law is a storytelling profession. Lawyers tell stories to judges about how a particular rule of law developed in order to convince them that it does or doesn't apply in their case. Judges tell stories about the same thing in order to convince other judges that their view of the law is right. This book, then, is kind of a meta-history because it tells the story of how American law, legal education, and the legal profession became what it is.
As an amateur history buff and a newly graduated law student, I enjoyed this book. The book's real value is that it gives detailed vignettes of certain issues or problems in distinct periods. The result is that you get a detailed look without getting bogged down in the detail. Of course, much is left out, and much is done in broad strokes, but even so the book is still probably about a close to comprehensive as you can get withotu sacrificing readability.
Friedman isn't shy about his own views, but he keeps them pretty muted and for the most part just sticks with the history. What I found interesting was the way he takes care to explain the relationship between social, economic, and political forces and the law. The result is that you see the development of law as a tool to solve problems or maintain the status quo. This feels more realistic and more persuasive than an account of judges and lawyers slowly becoming enlightened on how to harmonize abstract doctrinal propositions. In particular, the account of the interplay between land law and the settlement of the territories in the 19th century was interesting. What is most fascinating is how the judges and lawyers dressed up their social and political propositions as legal abstractions (and believed it, too)."
"I have both the earlier and later editions of this book. This is a good general source. I would recommend it to an undergraduate or law student as a good place to start in analizing the history of American Law. Like some works, however, it can be a little biased and preachy when discussing post WWII events but overall worth the time to read."
"what falls under " the history of how things got so fracked up". also, frack those politicians who use the term "legislating from the bench" it is a legal tradition."
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