The Early Courts of Pennsylvania

This volume, which is a part of the University of Pennsylvania Law School Series, constitutes a commendable effort to contribute to the understanding of the historic development of American law. As the author states, colonial legal history has not received the attention it deserves. It is, indeed, a rich field in which nearly every phase of judicial and legislative law-making is illustrated. The history of the colony of Pennsylvania is especially interesting, as it takes its beginning with the political and legal ideas of Penn. The author has studied the development of the entire system of courts in Pennsylvania down to the beginning of the nineteenth century. The work is founded upon direct research in all the available sources. The value of this book is enhanced by the manner of treatment; the author does not confine himself to a study of the organization of courts, but in dealing with their jurisdiction and methods, he presents an abundance of interesting material which throws light upon the general development of law in the colonial era and the early decades of the Commonwealth. The book is thus of permanent value, and constitutes a building stone in the slowly growing edifice of American legal history.
-University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 59