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Rating: 
Summary: Law in its Historical Context
Review: Friedman's "History of American Law" is a remarkable achievement. It is the authoritative text on the historical foundation of the common law, its development and role in history, and to a lesser extent, the development of our legal system. There are few books out there that cover the history of American law, and none that do so in such detail. Where this book excels most is in its ability to convey the role social and economic phenomena have had in the development of law. Accordingly, the strongest chapters are those that deal with family law, commercial law, and property. While all lawyers should be familiar with the history of their profession, this book will appeal primarily to history students. The primary reason is that although fascinating in a historical context, this book is of little utility to practicing lawyers. The bulk of the book is devoted to the development of law up to the 20th century. The majority of lawyers, however, have little practical use for such information, as the "law" they work with (especially federal statutory law) has developed entirely within the past 80 years or so. Additionally, this is a long, very detailed volume, that contains a fair share of non-essential, and perhaps redundant, information (see, for example, the multitudinous examples of early state constitutions and statutes). That being said, I still unreservedly recommend this volume to lawyers, though I fear that they would not have the patience to read it through. Finally, readers would benefit greatly from an updated version covering 20th century law. It was in this century that American law evolved and expanded most, what with the labor and civil rights movements, federalism developments, the explosion of tort law, and the proliferation of federal statutes. These developments need to be placed within their historical context and understood by lawyers and laypersons.
Rating:
Summary: Law in its Historical Context
Review: Friedman's "History of American Law" is a remarkable achievement. It is the authoritative text on the historical foundation of the common law, its development and role in history, and to a lesser extent, the development of our legal system. There are few books out there that cover the history of American law, and none that do so in such detail. Where this book excels most is in its ability to convey the role social and economic phenomena have had in the development of law. Accordingly, the strongest chapters are those that deal with family law, commercial law, and property. While all lawyers should be familiar with the history of their profession, this book will appeal primarily to history students. The primary reason is that although fascinating in a historical context, this book is of little utility to practicing lawyers. The bulk of the book is devoted to the development of law up to the 20th century. The majority of lawyers, however, have little practical use for such information, as the "law" they work with (especially federal statutory law) has developed entirely within the past 80 years or so. Additionally, this is a long, very detailed volume, that contains a fair share of non-essential, and perhaps redundant, information (see, for example, the multitudinous examples of early state constitutions and statutes). That being said, I still unreservedly recommend this volume to lawyers, though I fear that they would not have the patience to read it through. Finally, readers would benefit greatly from an updated version covering 20th century law. It was in this century that American law evolved and expanded most, what with the labor and civil rights movements, federalism developments, the explosion of tort law, and the proliferation of federal statutes. These developments need to be placed within their historical context and understood by lawyers and laypersons.
Rating: 
Summary: No!
Review: J'aurais du te dire ces mots que les hommes ne disent pas. Mais je n'avais pas les couilles afin de te les dire. Eh bien.. levez ton beret pour me saluer. Vieux mecs, mes chers, vous etes les meilleurs. Et voila. C'est la fin.
Rating:
Summary: No!
Review: This is one long book (>700pgs). Unless you really have the time for it you might want to pass. It ate up alot of my free time. Otherwise, I have found it to be a great intro for all sorts of (unsophisticated) legal lingo. Also a good base from which to build further legal knowledge. Friedman keeps what could be a miserable topic lively and engrossing with his prose. I will say that some of the chapter sections just can't be rescued - i was still bored. It's no one's fault but my own though. Colonial legal economics (among other topics) just aren't my thing. Overall: thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Better make time for this one
Review: This is one long book (>700pgs). Unless you really have the time for it you might want to pass. It ate up alot of my free time. Otherwise, I have found it to be a great intro for all sorts of (unsophisticated) legal lingo. Also a good base from which to build further legal knowledge. Friedman keeps what could be a miserable topic lively and engrossing with his prose. I will say that some of the chapter sections just can't be rescued - i was still bored. It's no one's fault but my own though. Colonial legal economics (among other topics) just aren't my thing. Overall: thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: When Lawrence M. Friedman wrote his landmark "A History of American Law," he remarked that American legal history has been a neglected field. The United States, he noted, has no work of legal history comparable to Holdsworth's monumental "History of English Law." Friedman was right about our neglect of American legal history, and his attempt to remedy that neglect by writing his History remains the most authoritative history of American law. Friedman's History is not only authoritative, however. It is written with clarity and grace, and it is accessible to the general reader. Any attempt to gain a full understanding of American law will necessarily be incomplete without a careful reading of this book. It should be required reading for all law students.
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