with the real elements of the law of torts in an orderly and succinct summary, and yet not without a certain descriptive quality of treatment that clothes the dry bones of legal statement with some attractiveness. The subject does not admit of rigidly defined rules to the same extent as some other branches of the law, but Mr. Bigelow's experience has enabled him to develop the salient propositions of his topic in a way that leaves little to be desired.

The appended examples of practical exercises also seem to us very well conceived. These, and others on the same plan, can, in the hands of a teacher, be made a most efficient means of fixing ideas which mere reading must ever leave loose and impracticable.

Reports of Cases determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Nevada, during the Year 1877. Reported by CHARLES F. BICKNELL, Clerk, and THOMAS P. HAWLEY, Chief Justice. Vol. XII. San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft & Co.

1878.

THIS Volume covers the cases determined during the four terms of the year 1877. There are few of them of general interest, and we can best refer our readers to our Digest of State Reports for such as have attracted our especial notice. In our notices of former volumes, we have taken occasion to speak of the Rules of the Board of Pardons, which are printed in each volume, as furnishing a salutary restriction on the pardoning power, and as worthy of adoption in every State, and, we might add, in the United States.

We are not impressed with the strength of the Nevada court, as we rise from the perusal of this volume; but we think the reporting is conscientiously done. Some exception might be taken to the headnotes, which, in too many instances, are extracted bodily from the opinion of the court, without reference to the idea they convey of the point decided; as, for instance, on p. 447, "CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE; FINDINGS. The findings of the court will not be disturbed where the evidence is conflicting;" and on p. 408, +6 OFFICE OF STATE CONTROLLER. The office of State controller is one of public trust, and is conferred upon the individual for the benefit of the public." The court did not decide these points as mooted questions, and the statement of them is of no service to the profession.

We desire to call attention to one case, ·State v. Cowell, p. 337,- where it is held, that evidence that the defendant agreed with another person to rob the person of the prosecutor, in the highway, was competent evidence to show the intent with which he, at a subsequent time, broke and entered the prosecutor's house.

A Table of Cases in the Reports of the State of Connecticut, which have been cited, explained, limited, doubted, or overruled in subsequent Decisions. By GEORGE SHARSWOOD, Jr., of the Bar of New London County. Philadelphia: T. & J. W. Johnson & Co., 535 Chestnut Street. 1878.

No lawyer needs to be told that a work like this cannot fail to be of great service to all who have occasion to consult the Reports of Connecticut. It belongs to that class of books which the enormous and increasing volume of legal literature is fast rendering indispensable. The profession will only ask

whether the work is well done; and we are glad to bear our testimony in its favor. The cases are arranged alphabetically; and under each are placed the references to cases in which the leading case has been alluded to, different marks being used to indicate whether the leading case was cited, explained, doubted, or overruled by the subsequent decision. The book is printed on paper which will carry ink; and sufficient space has been left between the cases for new citations, so that the work may easily be carried on from the point where the author leaves it. Of Mr. Sharswood's care, in this respect, we take pleasure in speaking, because it shows very clearly that he has thought more of the profession than of himself in preparing the book. Otherwise, he would not thus, in advance, have made provision against a second edition. Of course, without going again through the "more than seven thousand three hundred cases " which he has examined, it is impossible to vouch for the author's accuracy; but his book bears every trace of conscientious and thorough work.

Handy Law Series. The Law of Copyright, affecting Administrators, Aliens, Architects, Artists, Assignees, Attorneys, Authors, Booksellers, Compilers, Composers, Copyists, Correspondents, Designers, Digesters, Dramatists, Draughtsmen, Editors, Electrotypers, Engravers, Etchers, Executors, Importers, Inventors, Letter-writers, Lithographers, Modellers, Musicians, Newspapers, Novelists, Painters, Photographers, Play-wrights, Printers, Publishers, Reporters, Resident Aliens, Sculptors, Stereotypers, Translators, and many others; with Practical Forms and Notes. By HUGH M. SPAULDING, author of "Spaulding's Treatises upon the Law of Personal Property, Practice, &c., for the States of Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, and Indiana, with Supplements,' "Civil Service," "Popular Encyclopedia of Law and Forms," "Judicial and Public Records, Legal Forms," &c. P. W. Ziegler & Co., Philadelphia. Brevier Edition. 16mo. 114 pages. Price 50 cents.

"QUOTATION is necessary for reviewing," said Lord Eldon, in Mawman v. Tegg, 2 Russ. 393; but so diminutive is this volume, that we forbear citing beyond its inflated title-page, lest we should carry the right "to the extent of manifesting piratical intention."

It is of the "every-man-his-own-lawyer" genus, yet one of the best of what Dryden would call the "spotted kind."

In wretched type, we find a conglomerate mass of statutes, department regulations, forms for every phase of copyright,-from the correspondence in an application therefor to the pleadings in a suit for infringement, all mingled with a running commentary, which hardly exceeds the text, and supported by authorities in the margin, cited only by volume and page, the names of the cases being omitted.

The author makes no promises, and none are broken. There is no rule by which the merits of such a work can be justly measured. To a full, comprehensive, complete, accurate, philosophical treatise on copyright, for which there is room to-day, it is as a guide-book to a history, an almanac to the best work on astronomy. Yet almanacs and guide-books are useful. Go, little book!"

The American Decisions, containing all the Cases of general value and authority decided in the Courts of the several States, from the earliest issue of the State Reports to the year 1869. Compiled and annotated by JOHN PROFFATT, LL.B. Vol. II. San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft & Co. 1878.

THE second volume of this series follows close on the heels of its predecessor, and betokens the fulfilment of the promise of the publishers. On the general merits of the scheme of this series we gave (ante, p. 574) our opinion. It would be of little benefit to our readers to be furnished with a review of the cases reported; and we do not care, in a book notice, to point out the particular notes of the compiler that have peculiar merit. It suffices, for our purpose, to say that Mr. Proffatt contributes valuable work, both in the compilation of the cases and in the annotation, work that we should deem more advantageous to the profession, if devoted to some other form of bookmaking.

A Treatise on the Law of Judicial and Execution Sales. By DAVID RORER, of the Iowa Bar. Second Edition. Chicago: Callaghan & Co. 1878.

WHEN the first edition of this book was published, in 1873, we examined it with some care, and in our issue of April, 1874 (8 Am. Law Rev. 582), expressed our opinion of it. As the second edition is substantially identical with the first in subject-matter, although somewhat enlarged and enriched with later citations, we do not feel called upon to make a new and extended examination. It is not a book altogether to approve, much less altogether to condemn. As a compensation for diffuseness and repetition, we find a very full citation of authorities; to detract from the value of its discussion of principles, we are furnished with an unnecessarily minute subdivision of topics.

An Abridgment of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey, and of the Amended Constitution. By A. V. D. HONEYMAN. Somerville: Honeyman & Rowe. 1878.

THIS is one of the handy-volume, vest-pocket, all-in-a-nutshell law-books, to which the hardness of the times, perhaps, has reduced both publisher and purchaser. It is supposed to be "a convenient manual of the statute law of the State, for handy reference;" and perhaps "it may also be useful to practitioners and business men in adjoining States, who desire to know some features of the laws of New Jersey." It is arranged alphabetically, contains some 375 pages, and is bound in cloth. We should think it might be very useful to the bar of New Jersey.

United States Digest. A Digest of Decisions of the Various Courts within the United States. By BENJAMIN VAUGHAN ABBOTT. New Series. Vol. VIII. Annual Digest for 1877. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co. 1878.

AGAIN and again, as we are called upon to notice this work, we are more impressed with its great professional value. We can add nothing to what we have said and repeated as to Mr. Abbott's fitness to do thoroughly the

important duties of a digester, and we doubt whether any thing we can say will inform the profession of either the scope or the merits of a series with which they are so familiar. We learned within a month that a hard-working judge of a New England court, who is considered by many as the ablest of his brethren, said that he bought now-a-days no law-book except the United States Digest, and was satisfied that he found substantially all the law within its covers.

A LIST OF LAW BOOKS PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA SINCE APRIL, 1878.

Aldred, P. F. A Chronological Summary of the Chief Real Property Statutes. For the Use of Law Students. 12mo, paper, 2s. Butterworths, London. American Decisions. Containing all the Cases of General Value and Authority decided in the Courts of the Several States, from the Earliest Issue of the State Reports to the Year 1869. Compiled and Annotated by John Proffatt. Vol. 2. 8vo, sheep, $5.00. A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco.

American Railway Reports. Vols. 13 and 14. By W. W. Ladd, Jr. Each, 8vo, sheep, $6.00. Cockcroft & Co., New York.

Anderson, R. The Prison Acts of 1877 and 1865. 12mo, cloth, 7s. 6d. Shaw & Sons, London.

Bates, Clement. Supplement to the Ohio Digest, containing all the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court Commission Cases in Vols. 25 to 29 Ohio State Reports, and Subsequent Decisions to Jan. 29, 1878. Royal 8vo, half sheep, $2.00. Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati.

Bigelow, Melville M. Elements of the Law of Torts. ("Law Students' Series.") 12mo, leatherette, $2.50; sheep, $3.00. Little, Brown, & Co., Boston.

Broom, H. Philosophy of Laws. New edition. 12mo, cloth, 6s. Maxwell, London. Chitty on Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes. Edited by John A. Russell. Eleventh edition. 8vo, cloth, 28s. Sweet, London.

Coleman, W. M. An Epitome of Fearne on Remainders. 12mo, cloth, $1.50. - T. & J. W. Johnson & Co., Philadelphia.

Cooley, Thomas M. A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which rest upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union. Fourth edition, with considerable additions, giving the results of the recent cases. 8vo, sheep, $6.00. Little, Brown, & Co., Boston.

Desty, Robert. Federal Citations: an Alphabetical Table of English and American Cases cited in the Opinions of the Courts of the United States. 8vo, sheep, $7.50. Sumner Whitney, & Co., San Francisco.

English Reports. Edited by N. C. Moak. Vol. 17. 8vo, sheep, $6.00. William Gould & Son, Albany.

English Statutes. Revised edition of the Statutes. Vol. 14. 1862-65. Imperial 8vo, cloth, 30s. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London.

English Statutes. Chronological Table and Index of the Statutes. Fourth edition. To the end of the Session of 1877. 8vo, cloth, 29s. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London.

Game and Salmon-Fishery Laws of Norway.

don.

16mo, cloth, 4s. Trübner, Lon

Griffith, J. R. Married Women's Property Acts. Fourth edition. By W. G. Walker. 8vo, cloth, 6s. Stevens & Haynes, London.

Halleck's International Law. New edition. Revised, with Notes, by Sir S. Baker. 2 vols. 8vo, cloth, 38s. C. Kegan Paul, London.