This volume surveys 150 law books of fundamental importance in the history of Western legal literature and culture. The entries are organized in three sections: the first dealing with the transitional period of fifteenth-century editions of medieval authorities, the second spanning the early modern period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, and the third focusing on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The contributors are scholars from all over the world. Each 'old book' is analyzed by a recognized specialist in the specific field of interest. Individual entries give a short biography of the author and discuss the significance of the works in the time and setting of their publication, and in their broader influence on the development of law worldwide. Introductory essays explore the development of Western legal traditions, especially the influence of the English common law, and of Roman and canon law on legal writers, and the borrowings and interaction between them.

Preface.- List of Contributors.- Table of Contents.- Chapter 1: General Introduction.- Chapter 2: Law Books during the Transition from Late-Medieval to Early-Modern Legal Scholarship.- 1. GRATIAN, Decretum; Antonia Fiori.- 2. AZO, Summa Aurea; Emanuele Conte.- 3. ACCURSIUS, Standard Gloss; Alain Wijffels.- 4. VON REPGOW, Saxon Mirror; Dirk Heirbaut.- 5. BRACTON, Of the Laws and Customs of England; Nigel Ramsay.- 6. HOSTIENSIS, Summa Aurea; Laurent Waelkens.- 7. DURANTIS, Speculum iudiciale; Beatrice Pasciuta.- 8. BARTOLUS, Commentaries; Ferdinando Treggiari.- 9. BALDUS, Commentary on the Code; Mario Conetto.- 10. BOUTILLIER, Rural summary; Georges Martyn.- 11. PANORMITANUS, Commentaries on the Decretals; Ora-zio Condorelli.- 12. TARTAGNI, Consilia; Andrea Padovani.- 13. LITTLETON, On tenures; Neil Jones.- Chapter 3: Legal Books in the Early Modern Western World.- 14. EVERARDUS, A Book on Topics; Alain Wijffels.- 15. ZASIUS, Individual and New Analyses of Several Pas-sages of Civil Law; Steven Rowan.- 16. ST GERMAN, Doctor and Student; Neil Jones.- 17. OLDENDORP, On Law and Equity; Mathias Schmoeck-el.- 18. ALCIATO, Four Books on the Significance of Words; Susanne Lepsius.- 19. FITZHERBERT, The New Natura Brevium; David J. Seipp.- 20. DUMOULIN, Commentaries on the Custom of Paris; Marie Seong-Hak Kim.- 21. MARANTA, Speculum aureum; Marco Nicola Miletti.- 22. COVARRUBIAS Y LEYVA, Various Solutions; Adolfo Giuliani.- 23. GÓMEZ, Comments on the Laws of Toro; María Paz Alonso Romero.- 24. SOTO, On Justice and Right; Wim Decock.- 25. STRACCA, Treatise on Commerce; Stefania Gialdroni.- 26. DAMHOUDER, Practical Handbook on Criminal Matters; Harald Maihold.- 27. VITORIA, On the Law of War of the Spanish against the Barbarians; Mathias Schmoeckel.- 28. LÓPEZ, The Siete Partidas; Aniceto Masferrer.- 29. CUJAS, Observations and Emendations; Xavier Pré-vost.- 30. PAPON, Collection of Important Cases; Géraldine Ca-zals.- 31. PECK, On Maritime Affairs; Dave De ruysscher.- 32. VÁZQUEZ DE MENCHACA, Controversies; Gustaaf van Nifterik.- 33. MATIENZO, Government of Peru; Víctor Tau Anzoátegui.- 34. BROOKE, La Graunde Abridgement; Margaret McGlynn.- 35. BODIN, The Six Books of Commonwealth; Diego Qua-glioni.- 36. GAIL, Observations; Peter Oestmann.- 37. MENOCHIO, Commentary on Presumptions, Conjec-tures, Signs and Indications; Adolfo Giuliani.- 38. DONEAU, Commentaries on Civil Law; Niels de Bruijn.- 39. DECIANI, Criminal Treatise; Loredana Garlati.- 40. MOLINA, On Justice and Right; Wim Decock.- 41. CASTILLO DE BOBADILLA, Politics for Corregidores; Otto Danwerth.- 42. GENTILI, On the Law of War; Giovanni Minnucci.- 43. DELRIO, Six Books of Investigation into Magic; Peter Oestmann.- 44. HEVIA BOLAÑOS, Philippic Court; Agustín Casa-grande.- 45. FAVRE, Codex Fabrianus; Patrick Arabeyre.- 46. LOISEL, Customary Institutes; Xavier Prévost.- 47. FONTANELLA, Treatise on Nuptial Pacts; Josep Capdeferro.- 48. SUÁREZ, On Laws and God the Legislator; Norbert Brieskorn.- 49. BACON, Example of a Treatise touching Universal Jus-tice; W. Hamilton Bryson.- 50. GROTIUS, On the Law of War and Peace; Alain Wijffels.- 51. CHRISTINAEUS, Decisions; Alain Wijffels.- 52. COKE, Institutes of the Laws of England; Anthony Musson.- 53. SOLÓRZANO PEREIRA, On the Laws of the Indies; Ditlev Tamm.- 54. PÉREZ, Imperial Institutions; António Pérez Martín.- 55. CARPZOV, New Imperial Saxon Practice of Criminal Law; Heikki Pihlajamäki.- 56. SELDEN, The Closure of the Sea; Randall Lesaffer.- 57. MEVIUS, Commentary on the Law of Lübeck; Nils Wurch.- 58. VINNIUS, Commentary on the Institutes; Laura Beck Varela.- 59. CONRING, Commentary on the Origin of German Law; Michael Stolleis.- 60. BARBOSA, Various Legal Dissertations; António Ma-nuel Hespanha.- 61. MATTHAEUS, On Crimes; Georges Martyn.- 62. GROENEWEGEN, A Treatise on the Laws abrogated and no longer in Use in Holland and Neighbouring Regions; Paul J. du Plessis.- 63. VAN LEEUWEN, Abstract of the Roman-Dutch Law; Remco van Rhee.- 64. LUCA, The Theatre of Truth and Justice; Aldo Maz-zacane.- 65. HUBER, On Constitutional Law; Margaret Hewett.- 66. PUFENDORF, On the Law of Nature and of Nations; Kjell Åke Modéer.- 67. MATHEU Y SANZ, Treatise on Criminal Matters; Juan Obarrio.- 68. DALRYMPLE, Institutions of the Law of Scotland; John D. Ford.- 69. DOMAT, The Civil Laws in their Natural Order; Italo Birocchi.- 70. BAS Y GALCERÁN, Theatre of Valencian Case Law; Juan Alfredo Obarrio Moreno.- 71. STRYK, Specimen of the Modern Application of the Pandects; Jan Schröder.- 72. VOET, Commentary on the Pandects; Philipp J. Thomas.- 73. VANESPEN, Universal Ecclesiastical Law; Christoph H.F. Meyer.- 74. EMERIX DE MATTHIS, Decisions of the Sacred Roman Rota; Dolores Freda.- 75. BIJNKERSHOEK, Dissertation on the Dominion of the Sea; Kinji Akashi.- 76. HALE, The History and Analysis of the Common Law of England; David Ibbetson.- 77. BÖHMER, Ecclesiastical Law of the Protestants; Emanuele Conte.- 78. HOLBERG, The Core of Morality; Sören Koch.- 79. HEINECCIUS, Fundamentals of Civil Law; Jan Schrö-der.- 80. BERNÍ Y CATALÁ, The Instructed Lawyer in Spanish Civil Practice; Juan B. Canizares-Navarro.- 81. WOLFF, Natural Law considered according to the Sci-entific Method; Sören Koch.- 82. MURATORI, Defective Jurisprudence; Italo Birocchi.- 83. VINER, A General Abridgment of Law and Equity; Da-vid Ibbetson.- 84. MONTESQUIEU, The Spirit of Laws; Serge Dauchy.- 85. MAYANS Y CISCAR, Legal Discussions; Pascual Par-zal.- 86. CAMPOMANES, Treatise on the Regal Privileges ofSpain; José María Vallejo García-Hevia.- 87. GILBERT, The Law of Evidence; Michael R.T. Mac-nair.- 88. VATTEL, The Law of Nations; Frederik Dhondt.- 89. POTHIER, Treatise on Obligations; Rudolf Meyer-Pritzl.- 90. BECCARIA, On Crimes and Punishments; Isabel Ramos Vázquez.- 91. BLACKSTONE, Commentaries on the Laws of England; Wilfrid Prest.- 92. JORDÁN DE ASSO, Institutes of the Civil Law of Castile; Juan Baró Pazos.- 93. JONES, An Essay on the Law of Bailments; Michael Hoeflich.- 94. LARDIZÁBAL Y URIBE, Discourse on Punishments; Ale-xandro Agüero.- 95. BENTHAM, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation; Emmanuelle de Champs.- 96. MELO FREIRE, Institutions of Portuguese Law; António Manuel Hespanha.- 97. HUME, Commentaries on the Law of Scotland; James Chalmer.- Chapter 4: Law Books in the Modern Western World: Nineteenth and Twen-tieth Centuries.- 98. FEUERBACH, Textbook of the Common Criminal Law Applicable in Germany; Arnd Koch.- 99. THIBAUT, System of the Pandects' Law; Christian Bal-dus.- 100. MERLIN DE DOUAI, Universal and Reasoned Repertory of Law; Hervé Leuwers.- 101. ZACHARIAE, Textbook of French Law; Olivier Descamps.- 102. SAVIGNY, Of the Vocation of Our Age for Legislation and Jurisprudence; Jan Schröder.- 103. ØRSTED, Handbook on Danish and Norwegian Law; Dag Michalsen.- 104. KENT, Commentaries on American Law; Charles J. Reid.- 105. ESCRICHE Y MARTÍN, Analytical Dictionary of Legislation and Jurisprudence; Agustín Parise.- 106. AUSTIN, The Province of Jurisprudence Determined; Michael Lobban.- 107. STORY, Commentaries on the Constitution of the Unit-ed States; Michael Hoeflich.- 108. LEWIN, A Practical Treatise on the Law of Trusts and Trustees; Chantal Stebbings.- 109. SMITH, A Selection of Leading Cases on Various Branches of the Law; Michael Lobban.- 110. PUCHTA, Textbook on the Pandects; Hans-Peter Haf-erkamp.- 111. SALA Y BAÑULS, Mexican Sala; Laura Beck-Varela.- 112. ALBERDI, Bases and Starting Points for the Political Organization of the Argentine Republic; Matthew C. Mirow.- 113. WINDSCHEID, The Actio of the Roman Civil Law from the Perspective of Modern-Day Law; Anja Amend-Traut.- 114. MEYER, Russian Civil Law; Dmitry Poldnikov.- 115. MAINE, Ancient Law; Ray Cocks.- 116. GOLDSCHMIDT, Handbook of Commercial Law; Stefania Gialdroni.- 117. BENJAMIN, Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property; Janwillem Oosterhuis.- 118. GIERKE, The German Law of Association; Gerhard Dilcher.- 119. LAURENT, Principles of Private Law; Dirk Heirbaut.- 120. LANGDELL, A Selection of Cases on the Law of Con-tracts; Heikki Pihlajamäki.- 121. JHERING, Law as a Means to an End; Okko Behrends.- 122. ANSON, Principles of the English Law of Contract; Catharine MacMillan.- 123. MUROMTSEV, Definition and Principal Division of Law; Dmitry Dozhdev.- 124. WENDELL HOLMES, The Common Law; Jean-Louis Halpérin.- 125. STEPHEN, A History of the Criminal Law of England; Jula Hughes.- 126. DICEY, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution; Michael Lobban.- 127. POLLOCK, The Law of Torts; Matthew Dyson.- 128. DYUVERNUA, Excerpt of the Course of Lectures on Civil Law; Anton Rudokvas.- 129. PETRAZYCKI, The Doctrine of Income; Tomasz Giaro.- 130. SHERSHENEVICH, Textbook of Russian Private Law; Heike Litzinger.- 131. GÉNY, Method of Interpretation and Sources of Private Positive Law; Frédéric Audren.- 132. JELLINEK, General Theory of State; Jean-Louis Halpérin.- 133. WIGMORE, A Treatise on the System of Evidence in Trials at Common Law; Andrew Porwancher.- 134. DUGUIT, Social Law, Individual Law and the Trans-formation of the State; Bruno Debaenst.- 135. MAITLAND, The Forms of Actions; W. Hamilton Bryson.- 136. HAURIOU, Principles of Public Law; Yann-Arzel Du-relle-Marc.- 137. HAGERUP, The General Doctrines of Criminal Law; Lars Björne.- 138. POKROVSKY, Basic Problems of Private Law; Martin Avenarius.- 139. ROMANO, The Legal Order; Maurizio Fioravanti.- 140. SCHMITT, Dictatorship; Gilberto Bercovici.- 141. SINZHEIMER, An Outline of Labour Law; Naoko Matsumoto.- 142. WEBER, Economy and Society; Jean-Louis Halpérin.- 143. PASHUKANIS, General Theory of Law and Marxism; Andreas Harms.- 144. LLEWELLYN, The Bramble Bush; William Twining.- 145. SÁNCHEZ DE BUSTAMANTE Y SIRVEN, International Public Law; Margarita Serna Vallejo.- 146. KELSEN, Pure Theory of Law; Jean-Louis Halpérin.- 147. LUNDSTEDT, The Un-Scientific Nature of Legal Science; Heikki Pihlajamäki.- 148. RABEL, The Law of the Sale of Goods; Albrecht Cordes.- 149. OLIVECRONA, Law as Fact; Eric Millard.- 150. ROSS, On Law and Justice; Ditlev Tamm.- List of Illustrations.- Index of Names.- Index by Keywords.