Black Law Dictionary 8th Edition
Hadi Sapre
The first edition was published in 1891 by West Publishing, with the full title A Dictionary of Law: containing definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern, including the principal terms of international constitutional and commercial law, with a collection of legal maxims and numerous select titles from the civil law and other foreign systems. A second edition was published in 1910 as A Law Dictionary.[2] Black died in 1927 and future editions were titled Black's Law Dictionary.
The sixth and earlier editions of the book additionally provided case citations for the term cited, which was viewed by lawyers as its most useful feature, providing a useful starting point with leading cases. The invention of the Internet made legal research easier therefore many state- or circuit-specific case citations and outdated or overruled case citations were omitted from the seventh edition in 1999. The eighth edition introduced a unique system of perpetually updated case citations and cross-references to legal encyclopedias. The current edition is the twelfth, published in 2024.[3]
As many legal terms are derived from a Latin root word, the dictionary provides a pronunciation guide for such terms.[4] In addition, the applicable entries provide pronunciation transcriptions pursuant to those found among North American practitioners of law or medicine.
The second edition of Black's Law Dictionary, published in 1910, is now in the public domain and is widely reproduced online. References to case law are out-of-date, and that edition of the dictionary omits legal terms that have since come into use and does not reflect contemporary changes in how legal terms are used.[6]
This authoritative and comprehensive dictionary contains clear, concise definitions of key economic terms. Covering all aspects of economics including economic theory and policy, applied microeconomics and macroeconomics, labour economics, public economics and public finance, monetary economics, and environmental economics, this is the essential reference work in this area.
Entries are supplemented by entry-level web links, and useful appendices include a list of institutional acronyms and their affiliated websites, a list of Nobel prize-winners in economics, the Greek alphabet, and a list of relevant websites.
John Black worked on previous editions of this dictionary and was a Fellow and Tutor in Economics at Merton College, Oxford, and then Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Exeter. His many publications include The Economics of Modern Britain, Essential Mathematics for Economics (with J.F. Bradley), and Housing Policy and Finance (with D.C. Stafford). He is now an Emeritus Professor of the University of Exeter.
Nigar Hashimzade is a Professor of Economics at Durham University, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Tax Administration Research Centre, and a managing editor of the Journal of Tax Administration. She obtained her PhD in Economics from Cornell University in 2003. Prior to Durham University she held academic positions at economics departments in Exeter and Reading. She has published research articles in economic theory and econometric theory. Her current research is focused primarily on various issues in applied microeconomic theory.
Gareth Myles is Professor of Economics at the University of Exeter, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and at CESifo, and Director of the Tax Administration Research Centre. He obtained his D.Phil. (1987) from the University of Oxford under the supervision of Professor Sir James Mirrlees. His first academic position was at the University of Warwick, and he moved to the University of Exeter in 1992. His major research interest is in public economics, and his publications include Public Economics (1995), Intermediate Public Economics (2013) and numerous papers in International Tax and Public Finance, the Journal of Public Economic Theory, and the Journal of Public Economics. He is a Managing Editor of the Journal of Public Economic Theory and a member of the Mirrlees Review. He is an Academic Adviser to HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, and has also provided economic advice to international bodies including the European Commission and the OECD.
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Every page in the 12th edition of this iconic dictionary has been supplemented and revised. Among the new terms in this edition are deepfake, ghost gun, make-my-day statute, and shadow docket. The greatly expanded 12th edition is the most comprehensive English-language law dictionary ever compiled.
Black, Henry Campbell. A Dictionary of Law. Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern. Including the Principal Terms of International, Constitutional, and Commercial Law; with a Collection of Legal Maxims and Numerous Select Titles from the Civil Law and Other Foreign Systems. Originally published: St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing, 1891. x, 1253 pp. Reprinted 1991, 2013 by the Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 9780963010605; ISBN-10: 0963010603. Tan cloth hardcover with red and black gilt lettered spine labels. New. Special $65. * Reprint of the rare first edition of the classic American law dictionary, now in its eleventh edition. Contains definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern (including the principal terms of international, constitutional, and commercial law). There is also a collection of legal maxims, as well as a bibliography of the principal law dictionaries in English and other languages to 1891.
Notably Handsome Copy of a Landmark in American Legal Publishing Black, Henry Campbell [1860-1927]. A Dictionary of Law Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern Including the Principal Terms of International, Constitutional, and Commercial Law; With a Collection of Legal Maxims and Numerous Select Titles from The Civil Law and Other Foreign Systems. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1891. x, 1253 pp. Thumb-tabbed. Small folio(10" x 6-1/2"). Original buckram, blind frames to boards, rebacked retaining existing spine with raised bands and recent period-style lettering piece, endpapers renewed. Light soiling to boards, corner bumped and lightly worn. Moderate toning to interior, small chips to fore-edges of pp. 623-654. An attractive copy. $3,500. * First edition of the standard American law dictionary, which is now in its eleventh edition. It contains definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern (including the principal terms of international, constitutional, and commercial law), a collection of legal maxims and a bibliography of the principal law dictionaries in English and other languages to 1891. Besides its status as a landmark in American legal publishing, the first edition of Black's dictionary is valuable because it offers important insights into the rapid development of American law at the turn of the century. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School (1909) I:182.
"Well-known enough that it is recognizable simply by the name of its long-deceased creator, Black's is the most widely used law dictionary in the United States today. . . . [I]t has become the predominant American law dictionary." Sarah Yates, Black's Law Dictionary: The Making of an American Standard, 103 Law Libr. J. 175, 175 (2011).
The following member databases include historic editions of Black's Law Dictionary. Members must be logged in to jenkinslaw.org to access these databases. These databases are also available in the library.
Dictionary of Law Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern (1st ed.) [1891]
Available on HeinOnline. Also available on LLMC Digital.
The 7th and 8th editions of Black's Law Dictionary were the first edited by Bryan Garner. This review of the 8th edition of Black's Law Dictionary focuses on the approach taken by Garner in thoroughly revising the dictionary and places his work in the context of the recent history of legal dictionaries and lexicography.
The 11th edition of Black's Law Dictionary (2019) is now available at Jenkins. The 11th edition provides definitions for over 55,000 legal words and phrases. Library users can find the dictionary in print or from any of our four Westlaw computers.
To access the dictionary on Westlaw, search Black's Law Dictionary in the main search bar, then click the content page link in the suggestion bar. You can also find it in the Tools and Resources menu within the Secondary Sources. Westlaw allows you to search the dictionary by definition term or definition text.
A new 12th edition of Black's Law Dictionary was published in June. Once the library's hard copies arrive and are processed, you will find a print copy at the Reserve Desk and on the dictionary stand in the library Reading Room. Online, the Black's Law Dictionary database on Westlaw has already incorporated the 12th edition changes. (To access it on Westlaw Precision, type BLACKS into the main search bar and select the source from the drop-down suggestions, or retrieve it from the Secondary Sources content menu.)