Property (Casebook)

Rating:
Summary: I do not sure a high opinion of this book
Review: I do not share the opinion of the other reviewers. I am not a fan of Aspen publishers and the casebooks they produce. Very often the black letter law and majority views are contained solely in the notes following cases that represent bad decisions and minority views. There is no question that Dukeminier is an excellent authority on property law, but often the authors add unrelevant comments and failed attempts at humor. I would not say this is a good casebook in regard to functionability, but I do agree that the reading was easy and enjoyable at times.

Rating:
Summary: I do not sure a high opinion of this book
Review: I do not share the opinion of the other reviewers. I am not a fan of Aspen publishers and the casebooks they produce. Very often the black letter law and majority views are contained solely in the notes following cases that represent bad decisions and minority views. There is no question that Dukeminier is an excellent authority on property law, but often the authors add unrelevant comments and failed attempts at humor. I would not say this is a good casebook in regard to functionability, but I do agree that the reading was easy and enjoyable at times.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Property Book...
Review: The editors gathered up some interesting cases and added some colorful commentary and excellent problems... the only problem lies in the fact that the casebook does not also supply the student with a decent property teacher!"

Rating:
Summary: Decent but somewhat lacking
Review: This book is easily one of the more interesting of the first year textbooks, however it has some flaws. The cases are not all that plentiful and many of those in the RAP section are so incredibly convoluted they serve little purpose to a first year trying to learn the ropes. Examples of wording for the various present and future interests are few and far between and more problems for this very mechanical area would be extremely helpful. However the book has its strong points. The history of property interests is well done although not very useful, and the adverse possession, co-ownership and marital interests, and acquisition by find sections are excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Easily the best casebook in existence...
Review: This casebook can be summed up in one word: AWESOME. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you will look forward to reading this book at night. It is coherent, clearly explains the concepts with examples to follow (although does not give answers, which can be frustrating, at times), has a structure that is easy to follow, and the notes following cases supplement what you've read, instead of stating the meaning of the case. Dukeminier and Krier should write and edit all law school textbooks, since the student can feel confident that he/she has a firm first grip on the matter of Property when finishing this book. I would also suggest the Gilbert's supplement if you want to further your understanding of this book, only because Dukeminier himself wrote it, and it is an excellent supplement to this phenomenal book. I never thought I'd like a subject entitled "Property," but this was one of my favorite first year classes.

Rating:
Summary: Easily the best casebook in existence...
Review: This casebook can be summed up in one word: AWESOME. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you will look forward to reading this book at night. It is coherent, clearly explains the concepts with examples to follow (although does not give answers, which can be frustrating, at times), has a structure that is easy to follow, and the notes following cases supplement what you've read, instead of stating the meaning of the case. Dukeminier and Krier should write and edit all law school textbooks, since the student can feel confident that he/she has a firm first grip on the matter of Property when finishing this book. I would also suggest the Gilbert's supplement if you want to further your understanding of this book, only because Dukeminier himself wrote it, and it is an excellent supplement to this phenomenal book. I never thought I'd like a subject entitled "Property," but this was one of my favorite first year classes.

Rating:
Summary: Don't skip the footnotes!
Review: This casebook is a rarity in that its editors actually seem to enjoy books in and of themselves. Recognizing that their readers are probably first-year students in need of more than relevant cases and blackletter law (although more than enough of both are provided), they have helpfully added factual background, full explanations of historical trends, and even liberal amounts of actual diagrams and photos to aid the reader in trying to understand things like, say, what Grand Central Station might have looked like with an 80-story office tower on it or what kind of a person might spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to be able to keep a cat in her condo.

It's not all fun, of course, but even brain-paining topics like future estates are deftly handled in a few pithy pages without too much unnecessary commentary.

I would say that this is a worthy standard for any legal casebook to meet, but I'm not sure about that. If every law school text were designed with the kind of thought and care that this one was, our country's law schools might be even more overcrowded than they already are.

Rating:
Summary: finally some decent casebook editors!
Review: This casebook is interesting and well-written. It would be absolutely perfect if it included answers to the thought-provoking problems which are sprinkled throughout (preferably in the back of the book). My professor did not go over most of the problems and I was left wondering whether I had answered them correctly or not.

Rating:
Summary: It's not like you have a choice
Review: Yes, that is the sad truth of casebooks, regardless of what I put here you will be paying too much for it. What would Posner say about that choice?

Well, I agree with other reviewers that this is a very well written casebook, the editors do a good job of tying their little infuriating hypotheticals and questions into the text.

On the other hand, Aspen casebooks are horrible. You are going to have red and black paint all over anything that touches these crappy books and they are going to fall apart the second time you open them.

However, this property book is exciting because it is so small. It is much smaller than your average casebook and fits snugly in your hand. Why? I have no idea. But it is comforting.