Commentaries on the Laws of England: Book 3, Of Private Wrongs

*Illustrated

*Includes Table of Contents



John Locke is often cited as the main influence on the political philosophy of the Founding Fathers during the American Revolution, and in the realm of law, that same position was held by Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780).

After studying law, Blackstone became an accomplished barrister, rising so far as to become a patron of King George III. But he left his true mark on legal philosophy by writing at length about English Common Law, which set the precedents for law in the United States. By his early 30s, Blackstone published An Analysis of the Laws of England in 1756, which was immensely popular throughout the British Empire. 

Eventually Blackstone set out to establish a comprehensive overview of English law, which he did with his massive 4 book Commentaries on the Laws of England, a tome that is still cited about a dozen times a year by the U.S. Supreme Court. Blackstone’s work was crucial to the development of American legal ideas like “innocent until proven guilty”, and it guided the likes of John Jay, John Marshall, and Benjamin Franklin. 

In Book 3, Of Private Wrongs, Blackstone expounds on the different kinds of private, civil offenses in the Empire, generally referred to today in the legal world as torts. 28 chapters cover different offenses like trespass, waste, nuisance, and the civil legal procedures that dictate how the cases were tried and decided. 

This edition of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England: Book 3, Of Private Wrongs is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and images of Blackstone, his life and work.