The Law Book: From Hammurabi to the International Criminal Court, 250 Milestones in the History of Law

By Michael H. Roffer

• Which was the last country to abolish slavery?
• Which is the only amendment to the U.S. Constitution ever to be repealed?
• How did King Henry II of England provide a procedural blueprint for criminal law?

 
These are just a few of the thought-provoking questions addressed in this beautifully illustrated book. Join author Michael H. Roffer as he explores 250 of the most fundamental, far-reaching, and often-controversial cases, laws, and trials that have profoundly changed our world—for good or bad. Offering authoritative context to ancient documents as well as today’s hot-button issues, The Law Book presents a comprehensive look at the rules by which we live our lives. It covers such diverse topics as the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments, the Trial of Socrates, the Bill of Rights, women’s suffrage, the insanity defense, and more. Roffer takes us around the globe to ancient Rome and medieval England before transporting us forward to contemporary accounts that tackle everything from civil rights, surrogacy, and assisted suicide to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Google Books, and the fight for marriage equality.
 
Organized chronologically, the entries each consist of a short essay and a stunning full-color image, while the “Notes and Further Reading” section provides resources for more in-depth study. Justice may be blind, but this collection brings the rich history of the law to light.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sterling
• Release date: Nov 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781454901693

Reviews for The Law Book

[jessicadelellis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a future law student, I read this book to help give me a very basic overview of the history of law. This book succeeds in doing just that. It gives a brief 1 page summary of 250 milestones in law. The book doesn’t give a ton of information for each milestone, but it does give enough to show the basic gist of it. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get acquainted with law.

[cataloger623 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great table book which briefly discusses the major law codes and legal rulings from the oldest legal will 2550 BC to the Supreme Court of the United States rulings on The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and The legal fight for gay marriage. Each ruling, legal code, or issue is given a one page review with a footnote.There are notes and further references placed at the end of the book.The indexing is detailed and through. While the book is not a reference work for scholars and lawyers it will show the casual reader how the law affects everything from the US Constitution 1787, to first laws covering civil rights 1866, to the way we use our DVR's Time shifting and fair use 1984, and the way digital books 1999 and Google 2010 have changed the copyright laws.

[oddandbookish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a future law student, I read this book to help give me a very basic overview of the history of law. This book succeeds in doing just that. It gives a brief 1 page summary of 250 milestones in law. The book doesn’t give a ton of information for each milestone, but it does give enough to show the basic gist of it. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get acquainted with law.