dence which are arbitrary, unreasonable, absurd, or foolish. It is too often proper to say of a "local" treatise that its greatest result has been the perpetuation of local error. Lacking in background, against which the local rule may be cast for contrast such a work all too frequently fails to furnish much needed material for comparison. It is unnecessary to discuss the need of rationalization of the law of evidence, or to point out the impossibility of such rationalization if writers, lawyers, and judges remain content with "the law as it is." Rationalization is the product of generalization rather than of special study. If it is not to produce harm rather than good, such a specialized study must necessarily be based upon a broad and mature consideration of the entire field and of all the varied manifestations within it. It is no mean or slight task. With misgivings such as these, it is indeed a pleasure to take up Dean Richardson's book and to find it broad and scholarly, rather than narrow and mechanical. Its field is narrowed but its outlook is not. Within the restricted limits which have been set upon it, the book is very satisfactory. It is such a book as may be placed in the hands of a student with full confidence that he will not by it be converted into a mere parrot, mechanically repeating the words which have been written upon its pages. Its accuracy is high, its statements clear and brief; its citation of authorities are reasonably full and are supplemented by references to the sets of annotated cases. The book is a valuable first aid to both the lawyer and the student, and one which may freely be recommended as such to any who seek the specialized service which it offers. The second edition is a very great improvement upon the first and will no doubt enjoy the popularity which it well deserves. L. P. W. The Law of Evidence in Civil Cases. By Burr W. Jones. Third Edition, by William Carey Jones. Bancroft-Whitney Co., San Francisco, Cal. 1924. pp. xxvi, 1661. This is, all things considered, probably the best single volume work on evidence now available. Its statements of the law are clear, careful and accurate, qualities not easily obtainable in the space allotted to this text. Because of its greater convenience there will always be a strong demand for a reliable single-volume text on Evidence. This book certainly goes far in fulfilling all that may reasonably be expected of a treatise of its size. The practitioner who is interested in finding authority upon any given point should find the footnotes sufficiently voluminous to give him a lead in almost any direction. Without attempting to rival the more encyclopedic works, Dean Jones has, through careful citation of the better notes in the various annotated reports, tapped vast reservoirs of collateral material, and has made them immediately available. In so doing he has not made the volume cumbersome, though it has outgrown any chance of being called a "pocket edition." The student in the law school will find the book highly desirable. It is infinitely more than a mere outline of the law of evidence. It is free from the limitations necessarily pressing upon a work which purports to present the law of evidence of a particular state or jurisdiction. It is much more than a mere mechanical piecing together of the pronouncements of miscellaneous courts. The law student will find in it the fruits of high scholarship, the result of a full understanding of the philosophy of this field of law, and of its importance in testing the soundness of any given rule. Perhaps the consideration of fundamental theories is a little too brief to make it an entirely satisfactory text for the student, but this is unavoidable. To undertake the preparation of an entirely satisfactory single volume upon this subject is an attempt at the impossible. A book cannot be prepared which will exactly meet the requirements of all who would use it. One is struck, not by the material which has been left out of this text, but by the really vast amount that has been included. Actual use demonstrates that there is in it high practical value. The index is excellent. The paper is good. The printing is beyond any reasonable criticism. It is to be regretted that so excellent a piece of work should have been marred by the unnecessary omission of a table of cases. This is probably due to the fact that Dean Jones did not survive to see the work in its final form. This highly desirable feature may well be added by the publishers in the future printings of the book. L. P. W. Digest of New York Real Property Law. By Harold G. Aron. Matthew Bender and Co., Albany, N. Y. 1923. pp. ix, 633. Mr. Aron has given New York lawyers an excellent source book for the investigation of real property questions. Herein will be found the principal statutes affecting realty, with notes and comments. The unsystematic state of New York land law renders the inclusion of the statutes under a single cover no small benefit. It is also useful to have noted references to leading cases and to the sources of the statutes. The book would have had further utility if it had contained a complete history of each section from the time of its original enactment and the notes of the authors of the Revised Statutes of 1830. One may express the wish that some day this material and a few other statutes may form the basis of a revision of the New York real property law. An expert could perform a great public service, if he would sift this material, throw out the chaff, and make over the whole into a single, harmonious statute adapted to modern social conditions. Books Received Prize Cases Decided in the United States Supreme Court. Prepared under the Supervision of James Scott Brown. Oxford University Press, American Branch, New York City. 1923. Three Volumes. pp. xc, 2183. Handbook of Common-Law Pleading. By Benjamin J. Shipman. Legal Foundations of Capitalism. By John R. Commons. Macmillan Outlines for Review of the Fundamental Principles of the Law. By William Lawrence Clark. American Law Book Co., New York City. 1923. pp. xcii, 364. Arbitration Treaties among the American Nations. by William R. Manning. Oxford University Press, American Branch, New York City. 1924. pp. xl, 472. Handbook of the Law and Practice in Bankruptcy. By Henry Campbell Black. Hornbook Series. West Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1924. pp. xv, 905. A set of the Court of Appeals Reports, occupying the space taken by the first 118 volumes of the regular edition, each volume the same size as the regular edition. " THAT IS THE TWO-IN-ONE THIN : You save the space occupied by volumes 119 to 236, and in addition may have the current volumes, furnished under your Official Series subscription, come two-in-one to match the set. Further information on request. J. B. LYON COMPANY ALBANY, N. Y. |