This collection explores the remarkable impact and continuing influence of William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, from the work's 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 author's 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 work's unique status in Anglo-American legal culture.
The second group of essays traces the nature and dimensions of Blackstone's 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 Blackstone's 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).

eBook - PDF
Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries
A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts
- 262 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries
A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-title
- Title
- Copyright
- Preface
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- List of Illustrations
- List of Figures and Tables
- List of Abbreviations
- I WORDS AND VISIONS
- II BEYOND ENGLAND
- III LAW AND POLITICS
- Index
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Yes, you can access Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries by Wilfrid Prest in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Diritto & Storia giuridica. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.