Recent Book: Magisterial Law: The Magistrates' Courts
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6403700214 |
| Date | 01 February 1964 |
| Published date | 01 February 1964 |
| Author | J. Daniel Devlin |
| Subject Matter | Recent Book |
RE~ENT
BOOKS
ACASEBOOK
ON
CRIMINAL LAW
D. W.
ELLIOT
and J. C.
WOOD:
Sweet and Maxwell. 52s.6d.
This casebook, built very much on
the American model, isa most welcome
addition to anyones bookcase.
It
is
more
than
just
acollection
of
leading
cases, for the
book
is designed as much
for its meaty commentaries as for the
cases themselves. These comments
show the book at its very best, being
interesting, informative, and probing.
The object
of
this type of book is to
make the student aware, by the juxta-
position
of
awkward cases,
of
the limits
of
any legal principle. This the authors
achieve admirably.
The first half of the
book
deals with
general principles in a most satis-
factory manner
but
it is the second half
covering specific crimes which leaves
somethingto be desired.
It
is disturbing
to see no mention
of
perjury, libel, or
sedition.
If
the exclusion springs from a
desire to keep the price of the
book
down, then it would seem misguided.
Similarly, in a work quoting 200 leading
cases,
it
is surprising to see such well-
known authorities as Moynes v,
Coopper and Bratty v. A. G. for
Northern Ireland relegated to the foot-
notes, and even more surprising to see
that
McGregor v. Beynon (1957) C.L.R.
on the larcenous adoption by parents
of a child's taking, does
not
even rate
amention.
Despite these reservations this first
edition is to be warmly commended
and taken as one of the authoritative
works in the field of law which has for
so long been the Cinderella.
J. S.
COWARD
MAGISTERIAL LAW
F. T.
GILES:
The Magistrates' Courts. Stevens. 22s.6d.
In his preface to this fine little book,
Mr. Giles points
out
that
although the
magistrates' courts are generally re-
garded as the Cinderella
of
the
judiciary, in at least one respect they
may claim to be more important
than
the superior courts: their business is
much more brisk
and
more people
enter these courts
than
any others.
More policemen enter them too and,
if for no
other
reason, policemen are
particularly interested in the law and
practice with which magistrates are
concerned.
This is an enlarged and revised
edition
of
a
book
which achieved
considerable fame in three previous
editions as a paperback (published by
Penguin Books, Ltd.), and which will
be well known to a great number of
police officers.
The
present edition has
traditional binding and is well
pro-
duced
and
printed.
It
is intended for
readers whose knowledge
of
the law is
rudimentary and its aims are to provide
an outline of magisterial law
and
practice
and
to illustrate summary
procedure.
February 1964
The
author's
intention has not been
to provide atext-book and it is con-
sequently
not
suitable for promotion
examination students or for policemen
who want a work
of
reference to assist
them
in their daily work. Those who
want areasonably full account in
simple language
of
the working
of magistrates' courts, however, will
find the
book
extremely interesting
and
informative. Students could do
worse
than
to read it beforeany system-
atic study is attempted; they would
certainly find their task considerably
lightened.
I first read it in 1951,and
Ithoroughly
enjoyed it; I enjoyed even more
reading this present edition,
and
I was
struck by the
amount
of
up-to-date
law Mr. Giles has been able to include.
There is even a reference to the
Children and
Young
Persons Act,
1963, which did
not
receive the Royal
Assent until July 31,
part
of
which
came into force on October I.
J.
DANIEL
DEVLIN
95
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