The First Year of Roman Law

This is a useful introduction to Roman law with a level of detail that falls midway between an outline and a textbook. Carefully organized, it is also an excellent reference guide, and includes marriage and family law, slavery, adoption, successions, ownership. "To begin with, it is quite comprehensive, for there is not a single principle of Roman law, sufficiently important to be included in first-year study, which the author has omitted.... [L]egal principles and definitions are very concisely stated, and a lecturer on the subject will be glad to find an important rule given in such brief, almost epigrammatic form, that it can be readily committed to memory. (...) Another good feature is the practice of frequently citing the original Latin phrases and sentences.... Lastly, the translator has provided a good index, which is a valuable addition to the original work. We are sure that many teachers of Roman law will welcome this book as a manual to be placed in the hands of their students.": Columbia Law Review 7 (1907) 377-378. ABRIDGED CONTENTS BOOK I. History of the Roman Law Division Title I. First Period - Legendary Period Title II. Second Period - Historic Republican Period Title III. Third Period - The Imperial Duarchy Title IV. Fourth Period - The True Monarchy Title V. Fifth Period - The Later Empire - Justinian BOOK II. Persons Title I. Preliminary Conceptions Title II. Status Libertatis Title III. Status Civitatis Title IV. Status Familiae V. Incapacities of Fact BOOK III. Things Title I. Division of Things Title II. Summary Notions as to Obligations BOOK IV. Actions Title I. General and Historical Notions - The Courts Title II. Systems of Procedure BOOK V. Ownership Title I. Attributes and Evolution of Ownership Title II. Possession Title III. Different Kinds of Ownership Title IV. Sanction for the Right of Ownership Title V. Modes of Acquiring Ownership Title VI. Extinction of the Right of Ownership Title VII. Civil and Praetorian Dismemberments of the Right of Ownership BOOK VI. Successions Title I. Succession in General - Instruction of the Heir Title II. Conditions for the Validity of Wills Title III. Intestate Succession Title IV. Acceptance and Disclaimer of the Inheritance Title V. Fideicommissa Hereditatis Title VI. Actions Concerning the Hereditas BOOK VII. Donationes Inter Vivos and Mortis Causa Division