The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Property provides both a bird's eye overview of property law and an introduction to how property law affects larger concerns with individual autonomy, personhood, and economic organization. Written by two authorities on property law, this book gives students of property a coherent account of how property law works, with an emphasis on describing the central issues and policy debates. It is designed for law students who want a short and theoretically integrated treatment of the subject, as well as for lawyers who are interested in the conceptual foundations of the law of property.

TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER 1The Institution of Property 3Exclusion and the Bundle of Rights 6The Thing's the Thing 11General Justifications, General Concerns 14Further Reading 20CHAPTER 2Original Acquisition and the Scope of Property Claims 21First Possession 22Discovery and Creation 28Accession 35Adverse Possession 39Sequential Possession, Finders, and the Relativity of Title 45The Mosaic of Acquisition Principles 46Further Reading 47CHAPTER 3The Domain of Property 49The Demsetz Theory 49Personhood Constraints 57Inherently Public Property 62Hybrid Resources 66Further Reading 71CHAPTER 4Owners as Gatekeepers 73Laws for Owner Protection 74Self-Help 79Exceptions to the Right to Exclude 83Owner Powers 93Further Reading 103CHAPTER 5Dividing Property Rights 105Estates and Future Interests 105How the System Works 116Co-Ownership 126Marital Interests 131Further Reading 135CHAPTER 6Managing Property 137Why Separate Management Authority from Other Incidents of Ownership? 139Leasing 144Common Interest Communities 160Trusts 167Further Reading 171CHAPTER 7Land Transactions and Title Records 173Land Sale Contracts 173Title Records 181Mortgages 192Further Reading 198CHAPTER 8Neighbors and Neighborhood Effects 199The Coase Theorem 201Tort Liability: Nuisance 208Modification of Property Rights: Easements 217Contract: Covenants Running with the Land 225Further Reading 240CHAPTER 9Government Forbearance 243The General Form of the Problem 244Sources of Forbearance 249The Rule of Law. 253Explicit Takings 262Regulatory Takings 272Further Reading 280