With The Law Book, we are led through the milestones in the history of Law. I didn’t actually think I would be reading this, but I guess I got into the History of Law when I went to the Library recently. This book is surprising from the very first entry in that it starts with something other than Hammurabi’s Law. I thought it would start with that since I read about that as a child and still remember it. However, as I mentioned it started with the First Recorded Will. The interesting thing about that was that it upturned the thought that all property went to the Eldest Son in a Patriarchal fashion.

From that, it goes to the Cradle of Civilization and Ur-Nammu. This is another surprise since I have never heard of Ur-Nammu. He imposed monetary punishments for infractions rather than ‘eye for an eye.’ Then we go to the Code of Hammurabi. The book is similar to the other books in the series in that it covers the idea in rough Chronological order. The major difference is that we can actually have a set date for records and writings. Alongside the text is a picture or image that illustrates what they are talking about.

Since every entry is a highlight, it is difficult to highlight the highlights. The Ten Commandments, the Draconian Code, the Laws of Solon, it is difficult to list them all. Another surprising thing is that China doesn’t have a representative entry until 624 CE with the Tang Code. From that, it goes to the Quran and there are no important developments in Law until 1140 CE. I suppose it isn’t too weird since it was the so-called Dark Ages, but you would think that something would be happening in the world of Law.

In any case, from Mesopotamia, Rome, Greece, and other places, we finally get to the more modern areas of law with Great Britain. Leviathan, the Assize of Clarendon, requisite schooling, all good stuff.

Finally, we jump across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States and its massive history of law. I mean, it has the Nuremberg Trials and other international law ideas, but it ends with the legalization of Gay Marriage and so on.

The book is enjoyable and really enlightening. ( )

As a future law student, I read this book to help give me a very basic overview of the history of law. This book succeeds in doing just that. It gives a brief 1 page summary of 250 milestones in law. The book doesn’t give a ton of information for each milestone, but it does give enough to show the basic gist of it.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get acquainted with law. ( )

A great table book which briefly discusses the major law codes and legal rulings from the oldest legal will 2550 BC to the Supreme Court of the United States rulings on The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and The legal fight for gay marriage. Each ruling, legal code, or issue is given a one page review with a footnote.There are notes and further references placed at the end of the book.The indexing is detailed and through. While the book is not a reference work for scholars and lawyers it will show the casual reader how the law affects everything from the US Constitution 1787, to first laws covering civil rights 1866, to the way we use our DVR's Time shifting and fair use 1984, and the way digital books 1999 and Google 2010 have changed the copyright laws. ( )