Basil S Markesinis

Since its first appearance in 1986, this magisterial work has won uniform praise from many of the world’s leading comparatists. It has been acclaimed by senior judges and has been cited by the courts of many countries. This new, substantially rewritten and systematically updated fifth edition of the work, contains over 95 leading judgments, most translated in their entirety, along with references to over 2,000 other decisions from Germany and the common law world. While the book remains an ideal tool for teaching comparative torts and comparative methodology, the fact that it has been extensively rewritten makes it an indispensable source of inspiration for those with a professional interest in tort litigation and tort law reform. This edition has paid particular attention to liability for internet activity, medical liability and the protection of personality rights and private life.

Since its first appearance in 1986, this magisterial work has won uniform praise from many of the world’s leading comparatists. It has been acclaimed by senior judges and has been cited by the courts of many countries. This new, substantially rewritten and systematically updated fifth edition of the work, contains over 95 leading judgments, most translated in their entirety, along with references to over 2,000 other decisions from Germany and the common law world. While the book remains an ideal tool for teaching comparative torts and comparative methodology, the fact that it has been extensively rewritten makes it an indispensable source of inspiration for those with a professional interest in tort litigation and tort law reform. This edition has paid particular attention to liability for internet activity, medical liability and the protection of personality rights and private life.

This book presents a developed theory of how national lawyers can approach, understand, and make use of foreign law. Its theme is pursued through a set of detailed essays which look at the courts as well as business practice and, with the help of statistics, demonstrate what type of academic work has any impact on the 'real' world. Engaging with Foreign Law thus aims to carve out a new niche for comparative law in this era of globalisation, and may also be the only book which deals in some depth with both private and public law in countries such as England, Germany, France, South Africa, and the United States.

Recently the contract section of the German Civil Code was amended after one hundred years of un-altered existence. The German Law of Contract, radically recast, enlarged, and re-written since its first edition, now details and explains for the first time these changes for the benefit of Anglophone lawyers. One hundred and twenty translated contract decisions also make this work a unique source-book for students, academics, and practitioners. Along with its companion volume, The German Law of Torts, the two volumes provide one of the fullest accounts of the German Law of Obligations available in the English language. Through its method of presentation of German law, the book represents an original contribution to the art of comparison. An additional feature of the Contract volume is the way in which it reveals the growing impact which European Directives are having upon the traditional, liberal, contract model, thereby bringing German and English law closer to each other, especially in the area of consumer protection.

This book presents an original, deliberately controversial and, at times, disturbing appraisal of the state of comparative law at the beginning of the 21st century: its weaknesses, its strengths, and its protagonists (most of whom were personally known to the author) during the preceding thirty-five years. It is also a reminder of the unique opportunities the subject has in our shrinking world. The author brings to bear his experience of thirty-five years as a teacher of the subject to criticise the impact the long association with Roman law has had on the orientation and well being of his subject. With equal force, he also warns against some modern trends linking it with variations of the critical legal studies movement, and urges the study of foreign law in a way that can make it more attractive to practitioners and more usable by judges. At the end of the day, this monograph represents a passionate call for greater intellectual co-operation and offers one way of achieving it. A co-operation between practitioners and academics on the one hand and between Common and (modern) Civilian lawyers on the other, in an attempt to save the subject from the marginalisation it suffered in the 1980s and from which the globalisation movement of the 21st century may be about to deliver it. "This is an amusing, stimulating, and sometimes controversial work by an outstanding scholar. Professor Markesinis's book is clear, well documented and displays great learning... There is no room for doubt that he has written an illuminating and sometimes provocative book, which will be found very rewarding by the large majority of those who purchase it." Frank Wooldridge, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, January 2004

This book presents an original, deliberately controversial and, at times, disturbing appraisal of the state of comparative law at the beginning of the 21st century: its weaknesses, its strengths, and its protagonists (most of whom were personally known to the author) during the preceding thirty-five years. It is also a reminder of the unique opportunities the subject has in our shrinking world. The author brings to bear his experience of thirty-five years as a teacher of the subject to criticise the impact the long association with Roman law has had on the orientation and well being of his subject. With equal force, he also warns against some modern trends linking it with variations of the critical legal studies movement, and urges the study of foreign law in a way that can make it more attractive to practitioners and more usable by judges. At the end of the day, this monograph represents a passionate call for greater intellectual co-operation and offers one way of achieving it. A co-operation between practitioners and academics on the one hand and between Common and (modern) Civilian lawyers on the other, in an attempt to save the subject from the marginalisation it suffered in the 1980s and from which the globalisation movement of the 21st century may be about to deliver it.

Following the successful publication of his first volume of essays in Foreign Law and Comparative Methodology Professor Markesinis continues his quest for the best way of presenting foreign law to Common law readers. This second volume thus contains essays on methodology: the horizontal application of human rights; the tortious liability of statutory bodies; the growing impact of human rights law on our law of torts; the differing approaches to problems raised by actions for wrongful life and wrongful birth; differing judicial styles and what they can tell us about a foreign system,as well as the growing use of foreign law by British judges in their judicial and extra judicial work. These essays, along with their rich bibliographical references, will provide much food for thought to practitioners in these above-mentioned areas of the law as well as teachers and researchers in the fields of public law, foreign law and legal methodology.

In a number of important decisions such as Stovin v. Wise,X v. Bedfordshire, Barrett v. Enfield London Borough Council and others, English courts have been forced to grapple with the important issue of tortious liability of statutory bodies. Following the Hill decision, they opted for a wide non-liability rule on a variety of policy and economic efficiency grounds. Yet many of their arguments have been considered and rejected by both German and French courts when deciding factually equivalent situations. This study analyses five leading English cases in a comparative and economic way and questions the validity of their assumptions as well as their arguments in the light of the recent important decision of the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights in Osman v. UK. This thought-provoking book, written by two English academics from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, in collaboration with two leading authorities from the Universities of Paris and Munich, should provide food for thought for judges, practitioners, academics and students for years to come. This book will be essential reading for scholars and practitioners interested in public law, human rights, comparative methodology, and tort law.

This selection of essays by the leading comparative lawyer,Basil Markesinis, provides a compilation of his most stimulating and authoritative work. It brings together for the first time writings which capture the essence of his pioneering approach to comparative law. The essays are of particular interest to those engaged in the study of the law of obligations; scholars will find here a discussion of broad intellectual and theoretical issues pertaining to this field. These issues are highlighted in the introductory chapter. This work is a tour de force of comparative law scholarship and should be read and kept close at hand by every comparatist.