The Philosophy of Law Reconsidered

Roscoe Pound's Yale lectures on the questions every legal system must answer: what law is for, how judges apply it, and how it handles property, contract and liability. A clear entry point to jurisprudence from one of its most influential teachers.

Roscoe Pound

A classic textbook that defines the core concepts of legal theory: the nature and sources of law, rights and duties, persons, possession and liability. Written for students, with a closing guide to the literature of jurisprudence.

John W. Salmond

Holland's Oxford textbook organizes the whole field of law into a single system of rights, persons, acts and remedies. For decades it was the standard first book in jurisprudence courses.

Thomas Erskine Holland

A compact Princeton study outline of the main theories of law, from Austin's command theory and Hart's positivism to Dworkin and natural law. Useful as a map of the field and a quick review before exams.

Tommaso Pavone