Book Description

Stimson, Frederick Jesup. The Law of the Federal and State Constitutions of the United States With a Chronological Study of Their Principles, a Chronological Table of English Social Legislation and A Comparative Digest of the Constitutions of the Forty-Six States. Boston: The Boston Book Company, 1908. xix, 386 pp. Reprint available July 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2003053950. ISBN 1-58477-369-3. Cloth. $95. * Stimson wrote this study in response to the rapid development of constitution law that took place around the turn of the century, which he attributes to the social impact of modern industrial capitalism. He notes that the enormous volume of cases regarding "obligation of contract" and "commerce among the states" indicates a general shift in the field from cases dealing with the federal constitution or individual state constitutions to cases involving several constitutions. This book was conceived as a guide to this new terrain. It continues to be an excellent comparative study of the federal and state constitutions. It is more that a series of comparisons, however. As its title suggests, Stimson includes a history of the provisions in each constitution and their origins. "A Valuable piece of work...in the field of legal and constitutional investigation." Columbia Law Review 8:594 cited in Marke, A Catalogue of the Law Collection at New York University (1953) 403.