The Guardian Law section has announced the results of a poll held to determine the best law books a future student should read. Two of those selected by readers were written by Faculty members.
In second place behind Lord Bingham's Rule of Law, was Nick McBride's Letters to a Law Student.
From The Guardian:
""Dear Sam, I hope you don't mind me writing to you in this way..." The only book to receive as many nominations as Bingham's was Letters to a Law Student, by All Souls fellow and director of studies at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Solicitous, authoritative and hardly discounted even by Amazon, it knows its audience - those who already have a place to read law are advised to skip the first chapters." |
Published by Longman, Letters to a Law Student is the definitive guide to studying law at university. It is filled with advice aimed to turn the often daunting task of studying law into an enjoyable and stimulating experience. At the same time, reading Letters to a Law Student will help anyone who is considering studying law at university decide whether doing a law degree is the right option for them.
In fourth place, (behind Glanville Williams' Learning the Law - itself a book heavily connected to Cambridge) was What About Law?, by Catherine Barnard, Janet O'Sullivan and Graham Virgo.
From The Guardian:
"Recommended by - among others - Southampton University lecturer Mark Telford, What About Law? describes the various fields of law in engaging detail, though is less forthcoming with practical advice. Opens with the legal implications of the wild party 17-year-old Laura throws while her parents are away for the weekend." |
Most young people considering studying law, or pursuing a legal career, have very little idea of what learning law involves and how universities teach law to their students. This book provides a 'taster' for the study of law; a short, accessible presentation of law as an academic subject, designed to help 17- and 18-year old students and others decide whether law is the right choice for them as a university subject, or, if they have already made the choice, what to expect when they start their law degree. It helps answer the question 'what should I study at university?' and counters the perception that law is a dry, dull subject. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating, challenging and of direct relevance to students. Using a case study approach, the book introduces prospective law students to the legal system, as well as to legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. This is a book that should be in the library of every school with a sixth form, every college and every university, and it is one that any student about to embark on the study of law should read before they commence their legal studies. All of the authors have long experience in teaching law at Cambridge and elsewhere and all have also been involved, at various times, in advising prospective law students at open days and admissions conferences. See the detailed website for this book: www.whataboutlaw.co.uk.
The full list is available via the Guardian website.