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Contracts: Cases and Materials
This classic casebook traces the development of contract law in the English and American common law traditions. Like earlier editions, the 8th Edition features authoritative introductions to major topics, carefully selected cases, and well-tailored notes and problems. The casebook is ecumenical in its outlook, presenting a well-balanced approach to the study of contract law without ever losing sight of the importance of doctrine in all its detail. Cases are situated within a variety of disciplines history, economics, philosophy, and ethics and present the law in a variety of settingscommercial, familial, employment, and sports and entertainment. The 8th Edition will feel familiar yet fresh to current users and both exciting and comfortable to newcomers to contracts or to this casebook.
- GenresLaw
1088 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1980
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About the author
E. Allan Farnsworth
99 books2 followersEdward Allan Farnsworth (June 30, 1928 – January 31, 2005) was one of America's most renowned legal scholars on contracts. His writings were standard reference in courtrooms and law schools.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 27, 2009
From Amazon (I could not agree more):
"I agree with previous posters that the cases are well selected. That is possibly the only saving grace for this book. Of all my first year books, this is by far the worst. It's lack of organization and direction is confusing and unhelpful, especially to a first semester 1L.
First, it approaches contracts from a somewhat backward and non-linear direction. Instead of discussing what a contract is and its various parts in an ordered manner, it essentially presents the concepts in a jumble (similar to a large bucket of Legos dumped on the floor) and expects you, a poor oblivious fool of a 1L, to put them all together without any direction. I understand it's law school, and that if you can't figure things out you probably shouldn't be in law school. But this takes unhelpful to an unnecessary level.
Second, Farnsworth seems overly taken with the Restatement (2d) position. Perhaps that's because he was the reporter for it. He presses quite forcefully at times for its position, without giving due credit to alternative views or opposing positions.
Finally, while I see the reason for having three levels of case discussion (principle cases, secondary cases, and cases discussed in the notes), it's net effect is unnecessary confusion. If it's important enough to discuss, give the case. If the concept is all that's important, put it in a note. The way most other successful casebooks do.
Farnsworth may have been a great teacher. However that does not make him a good textbook writer. Other's I've talked to have agreed. Perhaps it does take a very special professor to make good use of this text. If that is the case, then the book is largely useless to the general 1L population."
"I agree with previous posters that the cases are well selected. That is possibly the only saving grace for this book. Of all my first year books, this is by far the worst. It's lack of organization and direction is confusing and unhelpful, especially to a first semester 1L.
First, it approaches contracts from a somewhat backward and non-linear direction. Instead of discussing what a contract is and its various parts in an ordered manner, it essentially presents the concepts in a jumble (similar to a large bucket of Legos dumped on the floor) and expects you, a poor oblivious fool of a 1L, to put them all together without any direction. I understand it's law school, and that if you can't figure things out you probably shouldn't be in law school. But this takes unhelpful to an unnecessary level.
Second, Farnsworth seems overly taken with the Restatement (2d) position. Perhaps that's because he was the reporter for it. He presses quite forcefully at times for its position, without giving due credit to alternative views or opposing positions.
Finally, while I see the reason for having three levels of case discussion (principle cases, secondary cases, and cases discussed in the notes), it's net effect is unnecessary confusion. If it's important enough to discuss, give the case. If the concept is all that's important, put it in a note. The way most other successful casebooks do.
Farnsworth may have been a great teacher. However that does not make him a good textbook writer. Other's I've talked to have agreed. Perhaps it does take a very special professor to make good use of this text. If that is the case, then the book is largely useless to the general 1L population."
May 1, 2022
I gave the book three stars. It was good for my Property Class for both semesters but it was not really the focus of the class. Maybe each professor is different but mine focused almost 90% on the Restatement (second) of Contracts. Cases were sometimes used and he had his own examples many times too.
This is not to say the good could not be good, it just want not very effectively interwoven into the class.
This is not to say the good could not be good, it just want not very effectively interwoven into the class.
November 3, 2023
forgot about this. I feel like if I had to spend an entire semester on this book it should count. Hated contracts
July 22, 2012
A great compiling of court cases concerning contracts, but most of them were so off the wall, they were useless in the real world.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews