This unique study offers a comprehensive analysis of American jurisprudence from its emergence in the later stages of the nineteenth century through to the present day. The author argues that it is a mistake to view American jurisprudence as a collection of movements and schools which have emerged in opposition to each other. By offering a highly original analysis of legal formalism, legal realism, policy science, process jurisprudence has evolved as a collection of themes which reflect broader American intellectual and cultural concerns.

Winner of the SPTL 1st prize for outstanding legal scholarship, 1996
Reviews
`Patterns of American Jurisprudence is an extremely thorough, informative and persuasive study of American jurisprudence since the 1870s. Duxbury's historical analyses of legal realism and law and economics are highly original and impressive, and his chapter on critical legal studies is the best thing I have ever read on the subject.' Richard A. Posner, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
`A penetrating study of late nineteenth- and early twentieth century American legal thought, all the more arresting for its `outsider' perspective. Duxbury combines a skillful narrative of the interplay of successive American jurisprudential `schools of thought' with a continual probing of their intellectual premises. The result is a rich and thought-provoking account.' G. Edward White, John B. Minor Professor of Law and History and author of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and The American Judicial Tradition
'Neil Duxbury's splendid book will provide enjoyable and information reading for anyone interested in jurisprudence....It is a very fine book that fully deserves the high praise which it will undoubtedly receive.' * The Cambridge Law Journal *
Neil Duxbury's book is thoroughly researched and well-written...the book wil be of much interest and use to those already familiar with US jurisprudence. Its encyclopeadic coverage make it essential reading for those requiring more information than that found in traditional textbooks. * Times Higher Education Supplement *
'this masterly work...In a meticulously researched, coherently structured and extremely readable text Duxbury offers the reader an intellectual history of American jurisprudence brimming with insight and critical analysis...represents a substantial achievement in its interpretation of the history of American jurisprudence' * Legal Studies *
'a thorough and impressive history of American lawyers' ideas,' * The Law Quarterly Review *
'Neil Duxbury tells a good story. In fact, for anyone interested in the personalities - some of them definitely larger than life - who have populated American jurisprudence since the mid-nineteenth century there is much to attract the reader here...The author's enthusiasm for his subject shinres through the text and the book is a rich tapestry of narratives of jurisprudential ideas, attitudes, aspirations, and projects...It is also a work of remarkable scholarship, meticulously documentated with an immense array of citations to relevant publications. This alone makes it an invaluable reference source on the subjects it discusses...this excellent book describes a closed-off world. Its relative isolation should be a cause for regret for all who admire the ambition of the projects described in these pages.' * Journal of Law and Society *


Awards
Winner of Winner of the SPTL 1st prize for outstanding legal scholarship, 1996.



Book Information
ISBN 9780198258506
Author Neil Duxbury
Format Hardback
Page Count 530
Imprint Clarendon Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 970g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 162mm * 35mm