Book Description

The first casebook, Harvard Law School, 1871. Originally published: Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1871. xvi, 1022 pp. The landmark work that introduced the revolutionary idea of the "case system" to legal education, which Langdell instituted in his position as Dean at Harvard law School. A response to the European educational practice of the expository textbook as the basis of study, Langdell invented herein the use of original authorities to teach legal principles in his classes at Harvard. He posted lists of leading cases on the bulletin boards or announced them in class beforehand. The students prepared for class by going to the library, taking down the reports, and studying them. The process was both injurious to the library collection and inconvenient for the students. It was very soon apparent to Langdell that having done away with the traditional textbook, the law library was not a satisfactory alternative. No library had, or could afford, the number of duplicate volumes of the court reports that were required so that all students could have easy and equal access to the cases. Langdell's solution was the casebook. This innovation in legal education publishing led to the proliferation of casebooks that continue today. C[hristopher]. C[olumbus]. Langdell [1826-1906] was Dean of the law faculty at Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1895, and developed administrative programs that endured. After his death a chair in the law school was named in his honor and one of the school's buildings was named Langdell Hall. He is known for his introduction of the "case" system of legal instruction as seen in this work. His other works include Cases on Sales (1872); Summary of Equity Pleading (1877, 2nd ed., 1883); Cases in Equity Pleading (1883); and Brief Survey of Equity Jurisdiction (1905).