Legal Commentary

Oxford Introduction to U.S. Law: Contracts

By Randy Barnett

Given that law school classes have or are about to start for many readers, I thought I would post a quick link to a new book of mine on contract law. It is written to provide an overview or ?big picture? of contracts that discusses as many of the classic cases you are likely to encounter in law school as possible. It has minimal footnotes and I tried hard to make it engaging and accessible. And it is pretty cheap too. It might be just the road map to contracts you are looking for.

Here is the editorial description:

The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Contracts provides students with ready access to the basic doctrines of contract law, the story behind their evolution, and the rationales for their continued existence. An engaging book that allows students to grasp the ?big picture? of contract law, it is organized around the principle that lies at the heart of contracts: consent. Beginning with the premise of ?consent,? the book provides a cohesive framework in which to understand the various aspects of contract law.

On a somewhat embarrassing note, this description, which was likely supplied to Amazon by OUP begins, ?Written by the leading expert in the field.? This is an obvious exaggeration. While I am certainly A leading expert in the field, I am certainly not THE leading expert in the field. I suspect this is the work of an overzealous copywriter. 

UPDATE: I have contacted OUP and they tell me a correction of ?the? to ?a? is now in the pipeline.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on August 27, 2010 (boomark / email).