Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries: A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts

This collection explores the remarkable impact and continuing influence of William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, from the work's original publication in the 1760s down to the present. Contributions by legal and literary scholars, as well as by cultural and intellectual historians, trace the manner in which this truly seminal text has established its authority well beyond the author's native shores or his own limited lifespan. Following an editorial introduction, the first section - "Reading Blackstone" - discusses the Commentaries' aesthetic and literary qualities as factors contributing to the work's unique status in Anglo-American legal culture. The second section considers the nature and dimensions of Blackstone's impact in various non-English jurisdictions (Quebec, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Australasia). The book then examines aspects of Blackstone's constitutional and political ideas. Finally, it provides a personal account of "Reading Blackstone in the Twenty-First Century and the Twenty-First Century through Blackstone." The book is a sequel to the well-received collection Blackstone and His Commentaries: Biography, Law, History. [Subject: Legal History]