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The Green Bag.

fact that it has passed through nine editions is con clusive evidence of the high estimation with which it is regarded both in America and in England. Many additions and alterations have been made in the present edition, and in its present form it will be found to be a very valuable and complete Lexicon of the Law. American State Reports, Vol. XXV., containing the cases of general value and authority sub sequent to those contained in the American Decisions and American Reports, decided in the Courts of Last Resort of the several States. Selected, reported, and annotated by A. C. Freeman. Bancroft-Whitney Company, San Francisco, Cal., 1892. $4.00 net. The selection of cases in this volume leaves nothing to be desired; and Mr. Freeman's notes are as exhaustive and valuable as ever. How he manages to accomplish so much and such good work is a veritable wonder. The publishers are fortunate in having secured such an able Editor for these J Reports. Select Cases on Evidence at the Common Law, with notes by James Bradley Thaver, LL.I). Charles W. Sever: Cambridge, Mass., 1892. Cloth, $7.50. There is no better authority on the Law of Evidence than Professor Thayer, and anything from his pen upon the subject must carry much weight, and be of exceptional value. While designed primarily for the use of students, this work is of equal import ance to the practising lawyer. A large and admi rably selected collection of Leading Cases, excellently classified and arranged, accompanied by abundant and exhaustive notes, makes up a volume of over 12,00 pages, and gives to the profession a most mas terly exposition of the Law of Evidence. Too much praise cannot be given to Professor Thayer for the evident pains and care taken in the classification of the cases selected; while his notes display a research and knowledge only to be expected from one of his eminent ability. The various subjects are treated in the following order : — Chapter I. Note on the General Character of our Law of Evidence: The Jury: Judicial Notice: Burden of Proof : Presumptions • Admissions : Law and Fact: Court and Jury: Demurrers upon Evidence. Chapter II. Matters likely to mislead a jury, or to complicate a case unnecessarily, etc. Charac ter of the parties to the Litigation : Confessions : Hearsay : Qualifications and Exceptions to the Rule against Hearsay: Opinion.

Chapter III. Real Evidence. Things presented to the Senses of the Judge or Jury. Chapter IV. Writings. Proof of the Contents : Proof of Authorship : Alleged Alterations : The socalled " Parole' Evidence " Rule. Chapter V. Witnesses. Competency : Privilege : Refreshing and supplementing Recollection : The Examination. From a careful examination of this work, we are deeply impressed with its great value, and earnestly recommend it to the profession as well as to all law students. American and English Encyclopedia of Law : vols. 1-18. Edward Thompson Co.: Northport, Long Island, N. Y. No legal work has ever been undertaken which aspired to cover so broad a field as this Encyclo paedia of Law. It is, in fact, a complete compendium of law; and as its publishers justly claim, " if all other law books should be destroyed, the world would have lost but little of its legal information." Unlike most subscription publications which put their best foot forward at the start to entice sub scribers and then gradually fall off in quality and quantity, this work has steadily maintained the high standard which we were led to expect from the earliest volumes. There has evidently been no expense spared to secure the best possible talent for the preparation of its articles; and the best evidence of their value is the fact that they are not only constantly consulted by the profession, but are frequently cited and quoted by the courts. Many of them are com plete text-books on the subject of which they treat, and the point must be a novel one on which the working lawyer cannot find in this Encyclopaedia a case directly applicable. The greater portion of the legal profession are comparatively poor men, unable to procure the text-books necessary for a working library. To them a publication of this na ture is an inestimable boon, enabling them for a small outlay to obtain all the benefits which would other wise cost them many times the amount asked for this publication. To all lawyers it is equally valuable in that within the compass of a very few volumes all the law is accessible. In the 18 volumes already pub lished, there are 830 complete legal treatises, con taining 603,551 citations. Besides these treatises there are 14,502 unusual titles and adjudged words and phrases, upon which there are given 127,302 citations. As will be seen, the Encyclopaedia is a law library in itself. It should be on the shelves of every lawyer: and once there we can confidently assert that it will be in constant use, and the more it is used the better it will be appreciated.

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