The Mysterious Science of the Law - An Essay on Blackstone's Commentaries

Referred to as the "bible of American lawyers," Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England" shaped the principles of law in both England and America when its first volume appeared in 1765. For the next century that law remained what Blackstone made of it. Daniel J. Boorstin examines why "Commentaries" became the most essential knowledge that any lawyer needed to acquire. Set against the intellectual values of the eighteenth century-and the notions of Reason, Nature, and the Sublime--"Commentaries" is at last fitted into its social setting. Boorstin has provided a concise intellectual history of the time, illustrating all the elegance, social values, and internal contradictions of the Age of Reason.

List of contents

Foreword Preface Introduction I: The Law: Science and Mystery II: The Use of History III: The Tendency of History IV: The Use of Aesthetics V: The Limits of Reason VI: The Methods of Reason VII: Humanity VIII: Liberty IX: Property Conclusion: The Advantage of Being a Reasonable Creature Notes A Layman's Glossary Index

Summary

Referred to as the "bible of American lawyers," Blackstone's "Commentaries" on the Laws of England shaped the principles of law in both England and America when its first volume appeared in 1765. This work examines why "Commentaries" became the knowledge that any lawyer needed to acquire.

Product details

• Authors: Daniel J. Boorstin, Boorstin Daniel J., Daniel J Boorstin Collection (Library of
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.06.1996
• EAN: 9780226064987
• ISBN: 978-0-226-06498-7
• No. of pages: 264
• Dimensions: 14 mm x 22 mm x 2 mm
• Weight: 397 g
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > General, dictionaries; England, Wales, English, LAW / General, Literary studies: general, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law, Laws Of Specific Jurisdictions, Jurisprudence & Philosophy Of Law, Methods, theory and philosophy of law, Wales / Cymru