A new edition combining two of the greatest works of law, legal theory, and legal history -- in a properly presented digital format. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., before he became the legendary Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, redefined the very idea of law with two landmark works: his 1881 book The Common Law, describing the use of history and precedent from common law and Roman sources to make new law; and his 1897 article in the Harvard Law Review, "The Path of the Law," which developed the concept of law and morality -- or amorality, really -- that began with his earlier book.
These works ushered out an age of legal formalism and the notion that rules have some inherent, logical meaning, and set the stage for legal realism and a pragmatic view of law and judicial decision-making. They are considered two of the most influential, important, and elegant works of law and political philosophy.
This 2012 digital edition features careful eBook formatting and proofreading, active TOC, linked and properly numbered footnotes, and a complete rendition of both works from the original sources. It is part of the Legal Legends Series from Quid Pro Books. It also features an explanatory Foreword and biographical summary by Steven Alan Childress, J.D., Ph.D., a law professor at Tulane, and an extensive section of photographs and rare images of Holmes and his original book.
