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The Common Law

By: Oliver Wendell Holmes
Narrated by: Robert Morris
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Summary

This is one of the true classics in world legal literature. Written by a master of law and language, it is a primary source book for anyone interested either in legal theory or political science. For the layman, it serves to clarify the very essence of the common law, the cornerstone of our present legal system.
©1994 Blackstone Audiobooks
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Critic reviews

"A landmark in intellectual history." (Mark DeWolfe Howe)

What listeners say about The Common Law

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Terms should be defined and then used.

I was disappointed by that book. The narrator's old voice struggling pronounce Latin phrases correctly with the lack of translation gave me an impression that this book is written by somebody who knows a lot for somebody who knows equally a lot. The points he made are hidden for normal people who did not go through history, ethics, philosophy and read a huge quantities of books. The author quotes or refers to terms which without definition will make no sense to you. Imagine you go through a long trial and when court makes a judgment it is said to you in language you do not understand. What's the point listening to this complicating and long book when at the end the knowledge you get equals 30min with Wikipedia.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Not really an audio book

Though this is a classic text, its dense and ponderous style does not, in my view, translate well to audio. It requires the kind of attention best (and more quickly) catered for by reading.

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