Before he became U.S. Supreme Court justice in 1902, American jurist
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES JR. (1841-1935) was already famous as the most
influential proponent for and teacher of the common law. In this
collection of lectures-originally delivered at the Lowell Institute in
Boston and first gathered in book form in 1881-Holmes introduces us to
basic concepts of the common law and explains his reasoning of them.
Discussed are: - liability - criminal law - trespass and negligence -
fraud, malice, and intent - possession and ownership - the contract -
and much more. One of the most widely cited members of the Supreme
Court, Holmes continues to dramatically impact the U.S. legal system to
this day. This classic volume of his jurisprudence-reproduced here from
the 1938 31st printing-is essential reading for anyone wishing to
understand modern American law.