A Historical Introduction to the Law of Obligations

In this book David Ibbetson exposes the historical layers beneath the modern rules and principles of contract, tort, and unjust enrichment. Small-scale changes caused by lawyers successfully exploiting procedural advantages are juxtaposed with changes caused by friction along the boundaries of these principal legal categories; fossilized remnants of old doctrines jostle with newer ideas in a state of half-consistent tension; and loose-knit rules of equity developed in the Chancery infiltrate themselves into more tightly controlled Common law structures.