Law Book Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Law Book, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Law Book?

(n) Law books are the printed materials containing the provisions and explanations of law, reports of cases decided by courts, commentaries on legislative procedures, rules and regulations, interpretations etc arranged in a meaning full order for references purposes.

History and Meaning of Law Book

Law books form the backbone of the legal profession. They are the primary source of legal information where lawyers and other legal professionals turn to interpret the law, research precedents, and understand legal terms and concepts. The history of law books goes back centuries, but modern legal systems have standardized how they are organized.

Historically, the first law books were the Tablets of Hammurabi, a Mesopotamian legal code dating back to 1754 BCE. During the Middle Ages, monks hand-copied legal texts into illuminated manuscripts. The printing press brought standardization to legal books, making them affordable and accessible to a broader audience. Today, law books are predominantly printed and digital publications.

Examples of Law Book

  1. Black's Law Dictionary is a popular law book that contains definitions of legal terms, Latin terms, and phrases commonly used in the legal profession.

  2. The United States Code is a law book that compiles all the general and permanent U.S. federal laws that are currently in force.

  3. Restatements of the law are law books that summarize the common law in various legal fields, such as torts, contracts, and property.

Legal Terms Similar to Law Book

  1. Case law: the body of law created by judicial opinions, particularly when interpreting statutes.

  2. Statute: a law enacted by a legislative body, such as Congress or a state legislature.

  3. Legal treatise: a comprehensive legal publication that provides a detailed analysis of a particular area of law.