'An edgy, erudite and engaging story of English legal history. Eschewing a smooth narrative of progress, this volume shows how the common law tradition grew by fits and starts over the centuries. Students will love this bouncy and buoyant introduction to legal history, and seasoned scholars will learn much from this 'subversive' account.' John Witte, Jr, Emory University
Prologue: The Man of Law's Tale; 1. The need for legal history; 2. The architects of legal history; 3. The Anglo-Saxon legacy; 4. The Norman Conquest (c.1066–1154); 5. The father of the common law (c.1154–1215); 6. The myth of Magna Carta (c.1215–1272); 7. The English Justinian (c.1272–1307); 8. The Black Death (c.1307–1485) ; 9. The Tudor transformation (c.1485–1603); 10. The Stuart suicide (c.1603–1649); Epilogue: Destiny of the common law; Afterword.