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In this highly original book Geoffrey Samuel investigates and reviews introductory books to law, with particular emphasis on those explaining legal reasoning and legal methods. This book assesses the impact of introductions to law in the context of legal education, theory, taxonomy, concepts and institutions. It also explores whether lessons can be learned from the way introductions are framed in other subject areas such as natural science, social science and humanities.

The chapters outline the evolution of introductions to law, including a reappraisal of the role of Roman law, and assess how the accepted conception of legal knowledge has changed over time. Adopting a comparative approach, Samuel contrasts introductions to law in the common and civil law fields and evaluates the differences in introductory books across various disciplines. Ultimately, the book reveals a tension between the traditional doctrinal analysis and emerging critical and subversive approaches to law.

A Critical Approach to Introductions to Law is a crucial resource for students and scholars of law, especially those with a focus on comparative law, legal theory, legal method and legal reasoning. It will particularly benefit those beginning their legal studies and those interested in research methods and teaching.