Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Common Law
The Common Law
The Common Law
Ebook568 pages12 hours

The Common Law

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) is generally considered one of the two greatest justices of the United States Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Marshall being the other. In more than 2000 opinions, he delineated an impressive legal philosophy that profoundly influenced American jurisprudence, particularly in the area of civil liberties and judicial restraint. At the same time, his abilities as a prose stylist earned him a position among the literary elite.
In The Common Law, derived from a series of lectures delivered at the Lowell Institute in Boston, Holmes systematized his early legal doctrines. The result was an enduring classic of legal philosophy that continues to be read and consulted over a century later. Beginning with historical forms of liability (thought to have originated in the desire for vengeance in ancient Roman and Germanic blood feuds), the book goes on to discuss criminal law, torts, bails, possession and ownership, contracts, successions, and many other aspects of civil and criminal law.
Encompassing Holmes's profound, wide-ranging knowledge of the law in its historical aspects, yet written in a manner easily accessible to the layman, The Common Law provoked this observation from another famed jurist; "The book is a classic in the sense that its stock of ideas has been absorbed and become part of common juristic thought … they placed law in a perspective which legal scholarship ever since has merely confirmed." — Felix Frankfurter, Of Law and Men.
Now the influential ideas and judicial theory of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. can be studied and appreciated in this superb edition — the only one in print — of his magnum opus. This edition also features a new introduction by Professor Sheldon M. Novick, author of Honorable Justice: The Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes. First published in 1881, this book is still indispensable reading for lawyers, political scientists, historians, general readers — anyone interested in the origins, development, and continuing evolution of the laws that govern human society.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 6, 2013
ISBN9780486121222
The Common Law
Author

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oliver Wendell Holmes was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. A member of the Fireside Poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most famous prose works are the “Breakfast Table” series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.

Read more from Oliver Wendell Holmes

Related to The Common Law

Related ebooks

Politics For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Common Law

Rating: 4.032261935483871 out of 5 stars
4/5

31 ratings1 review

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Holmes spent the first ten years of his service on the Supreme Court known as "The Dissenter", and for most of the chamber discussion was literally holding his head in his hands in utter despondency. As for "Negligence", he reminds us that "like ownership, [it] is "a complex conception". [115] Importantly, he finds the element of "public policy" in the concept. In other words, liability flows not merely from breach of a standard of care of the tortfeasor (fault), but upon public policy. 115. A "stricter rule" applies if damage is caused "by a pistol, in view of the danger to the public". 116. In other words, we analyze the burden on the victim in light of the benefit to the public. As Justice Traynor suggested, the necessity of "spreading the burden among those who benefit", arises from this public policy analysis. Unfortunately, jurors today (and in spite of Holmes and Traynor's best efforts) still find little help for applying this leg of liability.

Book preview

The Common Law - Oliver Wendell Holmes

` ^book_preview_excerpt.html}r#GݯԣrnI!HHMգ*XB68x732_ޙ㜙aڗqٯd6e̮fv(8LO,Nt::$?Iq|$o''dzr1}<-Ǘd~3Jfn.Ɵ{rr5JmU&qngG޾9zG/0yaa&%'d>x1%>L/xŋ>NfT"KjǿL_ϣY|ql~3\M$ʼ}ˣ?ύ6]?{/j%䤮'_g'2k&}5(&9鲵ywAp8x;yv}6Jy\c~9nh&_|u6 bǸ Ngdrqz-Sڔ GGgۣg绣w&7]Ut[4=,x:?݆.O/cyœ;MIZr7Otx|rub=Ob8WRyn2eF\NΦ_e٧+FZƨ pZ&6Ϣ9BzzqbHE8*x%qPUۃ]q®drz>iޜ'at&pBFvv;[Y+eLGMI{&*Bp?b@qomft>A/ad-N>̓B$Ӌ|>=Mws~t*Ir*n?WBZ$g.q2W/_kd=r]|yUݺH&E?N;}}SPon.&"һ.BW7oYUIiś/"Ux>#)6N"Sϧѥ1tO7В &!98)\Vr9#PD&qr=C͓SٛO7"r+,m_Mw/^7|ήg=]̮&|&/B ? ErqL+r׶:ϟzr|5>ݸfДo4m|lxXRb ğ|HdwA?_HO` H\GMZ^̌o_|:rZB˧OW"5n@rJQgG߾Aַ"BttɄ.%"=do]#^9 +)m9 Y$y%/_F ~@e0A1g"檲]W['|E7PNGT^>OiS!NW=zh>Ӳ[XjMw'}2߸"/E]Uw"e&];%lx '55.S%->=UyJ|d sV]QMvB&/9Q"?Wtes1m2 仒jghG8yh^>d^̱Go]۶p#TɳgUb۷ϏܦU99mD^Fdy;N|rwʓ‰l[U]mvȶe5F[N^.zWi+#˟6I[q2pΤESɳe`>PN7f9iU՘3:p˴Vj=NLS 3g)Dc"x|.;,{VH\ tUߎ$7F"_ԩOq-,NڦE%>ˣETIۻ&rIWϏx^G[dsIpEzkXnÿu#T4)Stlk./|g"x c2OyT(:o#۷o^_zvZgaP៧ӏ8ӫ٧Sب~膚˓ř|:=!n*<:'H؀4m_`PP&e#ZXYnfsU鼈ᣲp^'Nݹ8Rx~78?~2>lr)e Vuyek|fZTO?p'u!VKufHfq6Zdӊ\Iw S7#ȏT˼SɆ?~tsPpˏUCcW ½߈dV+zE N@>!+ >URK5N&':a8PɦN.]=יaLᢕhBUzW_u.CqAK%BU2D9LtI>wEF.`@00A*ۓhwIs+fKrGWHנtW9RN1::!@*s![v8'dJeJz(~T hהB1m-`r8qĢ 4nRkyI{&ܓ-] Qk7eP[sr٪]S9_I*s:f(d~pP>exAl7*wZKk4v 54$#Lle TzfG1%{ͬ_Sd9bnbq%%|3&9\R&":A=:doZ1 ՙ- )܅*jV>b'׍A-/})>c0I4#R+jr/_:$y#)ՖϝFڬH[;NDgqZE]!0&)Fg̥ XL$#U!6W!D9Ŵ\@X`7O%(Nn GW ]:M4_[peHWtpKH~3CJ= 9I{,0qUر7γ}CuLl'? db, IZ,+3>9(mW}O Ƿo^ y*hp.Ng%:5mQ7wZs7Z6b׻v[}R[]G /x\b~CrFt[0.KCdq=awE^Z3:=P Y!vDiJu5 s]XrkR jYyj%tşG3ȲɁPf7^wBΓTB`/P "%Dv~Unyݐ42E; 0&Zןtt0lJߌTNnwUNE\)ja er!By+?AA1!R9h*<e0g}؍1AGE, ׈w#"p(輇E:Bct2'@;pp2gtq$Pt;ك;#ڵ s_"*=6~k{nI,^lGreU4XTzxf T0EAhY&-=5NKɸa_]߆%}l TPN= A5YK2Gשq*{W-L K!2"ީk=T> +ٿ(Utd(d ?X/tO5v*eo{( Y0I?1}c9%Pma5ht05m?죽"wk"8x 7=CV&Hd\i&O^I+zQ Tm$5J< 1SSr*eY҈oS7@/F{"Y9(+zvEv`U+Gp]Q SZ-%:X&3-B XI%,Sc 7@\UʗKn"W&!֮yJpvy$OQ X9,VTJEaι tSa#jO #2+69sKh$ä,?Hઘfh# f"/Q+Zn70OAQcue1LZg8v*ݿ W[ɯoUz;7i1C aKf\+D귮 ]g(VK( 7p‘OEu-wBX^MF!HJ[AX2IS*({ hAd6$(x=Rﰷ[? PB:a' ҭ N^JIy%=E~%;H5,"_1@Ȏokpu#Fj^*0AVshA)- fLutl+TJq!œ v^-8>C</̇p/|Pb`o5'C^c,UcY!Yn òS%sk#)ʼ\Fɏ)eWl"ʴo,"S̙k/pT<^; ^&A5_~_ 1m=0Dt+^VG4ig_Z!' (jю"_27L-G כr|E.REҰ+re<KWJl!T Pz/\kshk \;M.Imz]҂JgiiHG͒1N"licX}.n iXw.k5&3Q tYycJCM,!qPKPFtMO.2T" (jW`= S=hYB?UR5z ީ h>`Dn* W+f9-Z hV.&1ZZuW8[[Y7N!E*KVyhpܬSE:c(ټGԐɬ E~A4}qn|4 &H0 sِC͕qՀOhj+`ޑƉUyfƙ mxv7^ԓEfD֕zNo<0[ICdN=rjp\5`cYqVkn]}hnTQ6GFElX*cQ6a4v.4ʖ"9qU5d&|,c'o}v\q*-B 9=N1^lʫZNv9FmFQ! d@e m6U}̨uJkFly BduC؂ /ftCK|o*bN ʉf.N_]I=J9G Xm}j IJ/?Y{Fj.<85BeU%&Ci(Xlף2GvTAS 5 RT'2_M5J":$8m r] I†ЙAig +?8!3ɥm$Xb.dvz wB̌8QއV)VW}Y߿f1)Hj:NQJDrwlcL*񨯦?py:ZTmg4|ȾWMݚk-ٍ?57MiHK$ /j0je!08-Q(?]4:/ٖ^D1?~wb8}q_7 PFU%5~O6LG-\rdD" F-9h@,tPNrCúa;,8& di$;y=]  @,Sxv|ƌ:~v(|%f /KԊ "EGfX<⼪#Mpӥ 0F ׇͺkPozfZ$P܎1\#A'5]9>o5dBĈ+%F)+Aƒ)95ZM ɭ.S+b>&]> 1yW^vr:{Ђb5xQ  ΀;!< Eg̓Q`%z >LD8DT]Rp+J%qw/S2TnE>$@Uo~kΰ \v._I/{_ӧPmޝ\fUJ̰j`cXlQQv`QT+6BT/s#nQñwwe4We5^1OUo/̠D -Oe|!}$-?1dlrief9M]0g)Pud*0iT،}goG +Nypxak~CDy4"hRG&!kpkZTAz"|w)ʆJ #[~rJD)<2ϋBJ{3*c5PuyŽG<<ણYM_H),<`zGB^EsP_q1a{C#PYq!jG{Ђ2ZK]Z`}og[1uh<@Rv7/zy'Σ|`}rS.ĎxK VmGX3;$/s ,I#8(^izny(It5\n˝Oif2Єڴ.$XVv`ʓVAhe(F|-NҡHN\]W'5%/JC}&ݲ,@/ CĞޅHHuBwl#fךLmN#6 ]4 9!Z,t9j!@WbC*ZxL\ -|\EyGT-ʪ*ANzji=pp?Pۆ|L ;Cvp ¬HsEDX ֏as41^~dj#+^&hĝ';;5 p\kF;? 2KOsce Ж!Leu,?B7׫~ &dUu@dI e*b=C[!eLϗwUβȮ{Co*V @B5h% |̏ܒHf.2uPH շ.zh#UΜN!!"*8lRjβawd~:Q5B^X 4PʹXG>&b7&h9ˎTiK!vp0@CeK|0 /icnOʊ9 ojưȞy E&~tZ+k! yjv#;a]X6k؍̧S1> 0 M}CmaW_0,D!~?꼉:+|͵@ck.=@B T-\́@bGȘ%nWټ}o jjx d.2!͸XDJXRgw%>i42& p)ڠ|M0=*VX{d ҩz8ȾOG4V"P0pP iMZl}(ga (2VM-Gppaz >^#[ >r.b]\([EDo/C="QXt."s}WY3c8g=)l1]WCqP{cn^ʠè\ĀUsZͺM=ĴM)YOϨ_^t]X[ `W*Lb +2􌕳oDY{l`nU0tÞi[dVU?tλG09XYK0M׹[Z eK 8h^39 =5e".:%L3ЈZ(=Dv׉ i.;TY h0hm YH'ű * _>bb=x9z~t4ODn'3@޹6,B-=OKsDJob4O d9lbXJ7PȝS * [f_jBhn 4w@E<(`{>ٗ\(T!LN. du`J23 /rqJ95_`|kUڶ! >ӭ:v( knhQؙw 7󹧏f3}Sv, im]P4H~B 95*4LL@xR2p6:TG+L~oGv2PcRty D8DaCi}EуrP3Cuj 'dZF-nЪ]}`\2!jpu؏M/,k;uj}_GuF l^JWS\pt|2&>8 A̢flׂ4cE`["r'eB Ӈ-= St1m?qZPǧeUq (C#-zlDvAna8x#㥇dVKeHjBu/Ժvr6POO5Ne?wm(s`ٶkg҆^ DH6m^9쫂dYWMcHF͠C.wYbܩ/Z[m~s$uIDW֢@ :!,$Pd5VpPE&#Dz_<z13Ц `A[%qގA}.{*Bs8SYc)ZH5X !t~Àjh0u?CBEdY/*XskOܶT{C@|O>ӏƺef_97m3}tq\e y]#EK5'Yl~ZQ#wɨcӇC~B<= ϊEGnHSQ'gcQS3z@A_|Nb'ϣwP%qX+!6 /_tKy̢Y8EʹiͲ ^@mlooBZ14On0&ZrEf$V'ڀ&QZ&S0 GƷ|x+SߗrV<&a÷}uT"7vP'sχ!+dE#5ncc|jND"ffhJ}iJ<5!&f!Xa*'J^7eQ;#6hq2՜+=ZmwUlV]2w|羔Hl >=`yD,yW<8AwoI; y` \K>nW}49Z{9t^pj$:"N+BMs"[f+)[/k!9N+3!Rڣ0p|}Ѓ |88ھٳhyH~0=p@u>Y!zx?0nyY^=f@vU^FY,dO@3Յyp>3kF龥OU̗X6aW\$l}SV-@tM ꖭ]z<8RYߖX?8(gvE|2H؃Dxشъw”5C]lys@(Y .?R dAcDt,Zrªeǃl.4}?->io"{&m&Gk?Ҋ,k`wЄ.#uuڢQR%A 7Ջk_ؗV|vp+*XP~ZcFީn dtyto \On.< }QDDF}ߧp)- d>!;~dIAh Qi?B5%['b~#ayz>87cX,^M#Y}igq2 :ͪX2,=]$4G{"c.Xh{w*ty'z`.z9S A:ޚ2 8ipwbEooϗqLDM)tS@Kk9/pv'A-Uou,n.jz-gQqg>t?WMwݳFz20u%ZNJ9P(UՒ*H{"hZwjjP+-euLk!Eګ8@ɵ޴R.N.EdÆy=إYPe-xTwpTӣ'ǧ$=^bm-\)SGS!Ib-~/2+= af)%|iNk <X(nwX5,pٟI>4E@y )½!(9*2 QlZ@rZ^2οL0d~͆kMUQv UIVք!45BDbq])A,V{0RmSb짫 Q> X*AO횭_ i41e𽜪@֨.>.d6 6s@SqTsXN+FD)$z`h5գi;T[:\i6%_7֋AQ$icÀLFf(PBp>N]asZ/a&$.d螞3?Tc g5y%g@v;@mț cq&hH˂mSCOD[̦jq22s7w|- |Me9 Jmv@յ=nlET魨hKBifs-~@cuGDdkL+{>)Fz'NCKzU? 0_M$+6~Is 远8gɈ{_?-/t[n%?_pl~3%ݢoGދ~D\k1J=SZ͟]OqrL%gחAѓ)zz9%^??kfnax>]M>\L?`Wm~wLi|jBcg v}r5??h\f2ܥ/nvh0OU^wV[!w%KA&˹?”*ކSw`Hv^4A,-.+ +`M& t{innt=GLx)UvhZmS=jiImԭ1t4K6dUE>J팴֨_mv HGK8rƥ|i1iˡK lp5!O  'Q؍>H9޸|]F18EwNQ 뤥5 D ]⏕Zw/ֲU۟r t>wa4$jZ"Lyrh ٳJY]WIQBboޑ/kU z$‹vJy[ھ7P7)zudnu,۾ֱdֵľ.b€YuaUg'i;#*+uK*ڤ6h14[ XentM};050`"ܒP 񑇨MB_h l7 ,Y%mpZo;Y|N>CVMS.Q[E]S?'ڲa gE-2ü`z ScjG4ġ@,zPg) <=`cń*A;H#墽">mh Ǿܪ0A3^R-,S V^ _̀cDM^ٸ?f7lEơĘ>:(?ՔO%`&lXkCu7oe [=z+FMY"fg=cv鏴NWN/EQ`NY -0@#&ajFvxFBY6UQ4cmwbޡ9?7 Jy%?S`^h8 ^,MMhmq|p֛*!L:]6.^D۝ύh*m`dOpJ3RƊ-SddG;v>);T 25x(_ʻio5N;H:^0| <15qE;,V>X?VճCb2<$ۭ{.ϧ۲Zgyy|q(5H!}#]yԈ#Xԧ&1ޚ‰dړwP_í2 zѭK2i1ch (OWhqsߣh{7B/t}f&-t|S qW 2%et})vZb:A턡L+X*$+zof;↑Cm5So3|3㠭L@v o}wDz[+UQ]>&'jO5Who#`X 4[wemx 1Nw+xA 4O0VObm%Bӣ'?WhE(W^PVs 2)i*TVh]c}UGzLrtrCC)," wu"9_eiQBЄC"i>H(ѕL߲ ,ھoM`/b 7Dan=DCAl\Em#yΰ)%rkH7#,4i'XG- ;^shژ"gA!} k6hJFH Ė4]<7$+& p\QT$~=`XlxfR %Nt u -HlhHHohQ"*5<$EDL%^){!4d#ʣ 8bH^Zb.6sYKޥRE螽CU~QmMnLφzds'7QH>u%!w~Bccꃆ0)bjj*H(A6VNTk4.Tk|/0CFx8:'my.CEHo]m׺nK2[/ՍBr!2hQ6C~!MWmL8[PFMCbV= E{_ bH_4Fb{;cy,MBtVVObk^ y)oJ#}}Q蕯l1 ϑ`)O3RRπ</ 3
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1