Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries: A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts

(Paperback)

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This collection explores the remarkable impact and continuing influence of William Blackstones Commentaries on the Laws of England, from the works original publication in the 1760s down to the present. Contributions by cultural and literary scholars, and intellectual and legal historians trace the manner in which this truly seminal text has established its authority well beyond the authors native shores or his own limited lifespan. In the first section, Words and Visions, Kathryn Temple, Simon Stern, Cristina S Martinez and Michael Meehan discuss the Commentaries aesthetic and literary qualities as factors contributing to the works unique status in Anglo-American legal culture. The second group of essays traces the nature and dimensions of Blackstones impact in various jurisdictions outside England, namely Quebec (Michel Morin), Louisiana and the United States more generally (John W Cairns and Stephen M Sheppard), North Carolina (John V Orth) and Australasia (Wilfrid Prest). Finally Horst Dippel, Paul Halliday and Ruth Paley examine aspects of Blackstones influential constitutional and political ideas, while Jessie Allen concludes the volume with a personal account of Reading Blackstone in the Twenty-First Century and the Twenty-First Century through Blackstone. This volume is a sequel to the well-received collection Blackstone and his Commentaries: Biography, Law, History (Hart Publishing, 2009).

Reviews

Re-interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries is both instructive and enjoyable. -- Christopher Tomlins * Adelaide Law Review *
Overall [Wilf] Prest's work is original and well worth-reading (...) He managed to compile a modern and exciting book, dealing with one of the eternal topics of legal history. (Translated from the original German review) -- Helge Dedek * Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung fr Rechtsgeschichte *

Author Bio

Wilfrid Prest is Professor Emeritus in Law and History at the University of Adelaide.