Review: The Children Act, 1948
| DOI | 10.1177/002201834901300113 |
| Date | 01 January 1949 |
| Published date | 01 January 1949 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
REVIEWS
111
plain man, reflecting on
the
nature
of
great
seal matrices, fishermen's
nets,
and
the
Thames
bottom,
might
very
well find in those physical
facts
the
most difficult
part
of
the
story."
A
mSTORY
OF
ItNGLISH
CRIMINAL
LAW
AND
ITS
ADMINISTRATION
FROM
1750.
By
LItON
RADZINOWICZ,
LL.D., Fellow of
Trinity
College,
Cambridge. Large 8vo. pp. xxiv, 853. (Stevens
~
Sons
Ltd.,
London.)
Price of Vol. 1., £3 lOs. net.
The
first volume of
this
imposing work, which is to be completed in
"about
four volumes", is
not
unreasonably described
by
its
publishers
as
"a
work of
outstanding
importance".
It
is primarily sociological;
for
the
purpose of
the
book is to describe
the
growth
and
development of
our
criminal law under
the
impress of public opinion, political
thought,
and
social progress from 1750 to
the
present day.
It
is sponsored
by
the
Pilgrim
Trust
and
is 'introduced'
by
Lord
Macmillan.
The
first volume
covers
the
period from 1750 to
about
1830.
To
the
student
of English social history
this
book will be of con-
siderable
service:
it
is a
quarry-and
an extensive one
at
that-from
which
future
writers will collect
much
valuable material. Practically
every one of
the
734 pages of
text
and
appendices is supplied
with
foot-
notes, often copiously, amplifying
the
text
and
giving
'chapter
and
verse', so
that
the
reader marvels no less
at
the
author's
thoroughness
than
at
the
enormous
amount
of material which he has read
and
digested.
But
the
book is
not
a mere gathering together of
material:
it
is well
written,
well arranged,
and
very readable. So far as we are aware
it
is
sui
generis :
the
'social background' of
other
works on
the
development
of
our
criminal law here becomes
the
social foreground,
the
law being
shown as evolving under
the
impress of
the
environment
and
of
current
thought
as led
by
the
foremost thinkers
and
writers of
the
day.
Here
too
for
the
first
time
the
influence upon
our
criminal law of Continental
thought
and
legal development is clearly shown. There is a serviceable
bibliography,
that
of "Foreign Impressions of
the
English System of
Criminal
Justice"
being especially useful.
The
Index
is adequate
and
the
book is well produced.
THe
CHILDRItN
ACT,
1948.
Edited
by
A. C. L.
MORRISON,
C.B.E., Miss
M. M.
WELLS,
M.A., E.
ETON,
D.S.O., T.D., L. G.
BANWELL.
London.
Messrs.
Butterworth
&Co. (Publishers)
Ltd.
Price 15s. net.
This timely volume is, as
the
preface states, acompanion volume to
Clark-Hall
and
Morrison's
"Law
Relating
to
Children
and
Young Persons".
The
book is
the
joint
product
of
the
work of a former Senior Chief Clerk of
the
Metropolitan Magistrates' Courts, abarrister,
the
former Assistant
Education
Officer to ,the London County Council
and
the
Chief Clerk of
the
Metropolitan Juvenile
Courts:
a
team
of writers whose interests
and
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