Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England

Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England is an encyclopedia of English law edited by Alexander Wood Renton and (captain) Maxwell Alexander Robertson (sometimes called "Max Robertson").[1] The first edition was published as Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England, Being a New Abridgment, in thirteen volumes (including a supplement edited by A W Donald),[2] from 1897 to 1903. The second edition was published as Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England, with Forms and Precedents, in seventeen volumes (including two supplementary volumes), from 1906 to 1919.[3] Volumes one to five of the third edition, revised, edited by Ernest Arthur Jelf, were published from 1938 to 1940.

The encyclopedia has a foreword by Frederick Pollock.

Other contributors included Challis, Holland, Ilbert, Maitland, Blake Odgers, Phillimore, and "many other recognized authorities on the subjects with which they deal". "A high standard of execution is maintained throughout". Holland's account of the Civil Law has been called "admirable" and Ilbert's article on Codification has been called "brightly written" and said to do "full justice to Bentham's work as a law reformer".[4] Jelf said the paper on "Customs", contributed to volume 4 by C J Follett was "excellent".[5]

First Edition

In 1898, the Law Quarterly Review said of volume 4 of the First Edition:

We venture to observe that, while the principal articles are well and often extremely well done, the others do not always achieve that precision and completeness which are the crown of virtue to a great book of reference. A little more space and trouble might be given to the minor and more obscure headings, at the cost, if need be, of giving a little less to those on which good text-books are available and for which, therefore, practitioners are less likely to rely on the Encyclopaedia. Thus in the article 'Debt, Action of' an awkwardly placed sentence all but commits the learned writer (who doubtless knows better) to representing the common 'indebitatus' counts in assumpsit as belonging to the action of debt; and a novice might be easily misled. And we must except, though it is really of no importance, to the medieval history which treats that eccentric book the Mirror as a fair sample of the older law books, and the modern history which supposes Macaulay's draft of the Indian Penal Code to have been later than the reports of the Criminal Law Commissioners ('Criminal Law,' pp. 37, 38).[6]

Second Edition

In 1906, the Law Quarterly Review said of volume 1 of the Second Edition:

We cannot now do more than note the appearance of the first volume of the new edition of this excellent work. All the articles have been revised and many of them enlarged. As an instance of the considerable additions made, we may mention the article on 'Appeals.' In the first edition only fifteen pages were allotted to this subject. Mr. Charles Burney's article in the present edition occupies nearly fifty pages. An especial feature of this issue is the addition of forms to many of the articles. Those in the present volume (e. g. Abstract of Title, Advowson, Allotments, Arbitration, Attestation, &c.) look eminently practical and useful, and should in most cases be sufficient for the ordinary needs of the practitioner without the necessity of consulting other works.[7]

References
  1. As to Robertson, see WorldCat, Imperial War Museums and Loretto Roll of Honour
  2. "Notices of New Works" (1903) 67 Justice of the Peace 438 Google Books
  3. The first fifteen volumes were published from 1906 to 1909: Materials and methods of Legal Research, 1942, p 272
  4. "Legal" (1897) 1 Literature 143 (20 November)
  5. Jelf, Where to Find Your Law, 1907, p 88 Google Books
  6. "Reviews and Notices" (1898) 14 Law Quarterly Review 100 to 101 (January 1898)
  7. "Reviews and Notices" (1906) 22 Law Quarterly Review 461 (October 1906)
  • Julius J Marke (ed), A Catalogue of the Law Collection at New York University with Selected Annotations, Law Center of New York University, 1953, Library of Congress Catalog card 58-6489, Reprinted by The Lawbook Exchange Ltd (Union, New Jersey) 1999, p 33
  • Percy Henry Winfield. The Chief Sources of English Legal History. Harvard University Press. 1925. Reprinted by Beard Books. 2000. Pages 65, 194 and 248.
  • Jelf, Where to Find Your Law, 1907, pp xl, 88 & 469 Google Books
  • George Matthew Dutcher. A Guide to Historical Literature. P Smith. 1949. Page 538. Google Books
  • Mudge, Reed & Winchell. Guide to Reference Books. Fifth Edition. American Library Association. 1929. p 106. Google Books
  • Isadore Gilbert Mudge. Guide to the Study and Use of Reference Books. American Library Association. 1917. Volume 3. Part 4. Number 340 at page 75 Google Books
  • George Watson (ed). The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. Cambridge University Press. 1966. Volume 5. Page 345
  • "XIII Legal Literature" in The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. 1907-1921. Volume 8 (The Age of Dryden). Bartleby
  • (1898) 14 Law Quarterly Review 213, 324 and 424
  • (1907) 23 Law Quarterly Review 124 and 246; 24 Law Quarterly Review 105 and 229; 25 Law Quarterly Review 110. See also index p 432.
  • "Reviews and Notices" (1909) 25 Law Quarterly Review 427 (October) Google Books
  • (1899) 24 Law Magazine and Review (Fifth Series) 244 Google Books
  • (1915) 40 Law Magazine and Review (Fifth Series) 126 Google Books [review of 2nd Ed, vol 16]
  • "Law Library" (1908) 124 The Law Times 179 Google Books
  • (1915) 139-140 The Law Times 296 Google Books [review of Jacob's Supplement to 2nd Ed]
  • "Encyclopaedia of Law" in "Law Library" (1939) 187 The Law Times 13 (7 January) Google Books [review of 3rd Ed, vol 3; there is also a review of vol 4 in this volume]
  • "Encyclopaedia of English Law" in "Reviews" (1906) 41 The Law Journal 583 (1 September) Google Books
  • "Reviews" (1907) 42 The Law Journal 5 and 375 (5 January and 8 June) Google Books
  • "The Encyclopaedia" in "Reviews" (1919) 54 The Law Journal 445 (29 November) Google Books [review of 2nd Ed, vol 17]
  • "Reviews: Books of the Week" (1913) 57 Solicitors' Journal & Weekly Reporter 516 Google Books
  • (1914) 58 Solicitors Journal and Weekly Reporter 752 (8 August) Google Books [review of 2nd Ed, vol 16]
  • "Review" (1939) 103 Justice of the Peace and Local Government Review 411 (17 June) Google Books [review of 3rd Ed, vol 4]
  • "Reviews of Books" (1897) 9 Juridical Review 224 and 445 Google Books
  • "Reviews of Books" (1898) 10 The Juridical Review 100 and 365 Google Books
  • "Reviews of Books" (1907) 18 The Juridical Review 431 Google Books
  • 21 Juridical Review 270 (Edinburgh)
  • (1919) 38 Law Notes 262 Google Books
  • "Reviews" (1914) 36 Law Students' Journal 168 (1 August) Google Books
  • (1897) 13 Scottish Law Review and Sheriff Court Reports 74 Google Books
  • (1898) 32 Irish Law Times and Solicitors' Journal 316, see also pp 276 & 309 Google Books
  • "Topical Index to Recent Legal Literature" (1910) 8 Michigan Law Review 260 at 262 JSTOR
  • "Another Legal Rechauffee" (1897) 84 The Saturday Review 44 (10 July)
  • (1905) 2 Book Auction Records 54 Google Books
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