What is a hornbook for law school?

A legal hornbook is a one-volume treatise that summarizes a specific area of law. The explanations themselves are relatively concise and can be very useful in clearing up any confusion or missing pieces within your own class notes.

What is a horn book in law?

In United States law, a hornbook is a text that gives an overview of a particular area of law. A law hornbook is a type of treatise, usually one volume, which could be a briefer version of a longer, multi-volume treatise. Students in American law schools often use hornbooks as supplements to casebooks.

What are hornbooks used for?

The hornbook originated in England and served the function of teaching children to read, learn math or to receive religious instruction. Hornbooks are somewhat like the more modern idea of a primer.

Where can I find hornbooks?

Locating Hornbooks & Nutshells Hornbooks and nutshells are still predominantly a product of the print world. The Law Library has an extensive collection of hornbooks and nutshells, the most current versions of which are located at the Circulation Desk.

Why is it called a hornbook?

Back in the sixteenth century, English monks began to make hornbooks to help their pupils learn to read. Usually a wooden paddle with an alphabet and a verse glued to the surface, hornbooks derived their name from the piece of transparent horn protecting the verse.

What is meant by black letter law?

Blackletter law is free from doubt and generally well-known. It also means well-established case law and refers to the basic key components of a subject in the law. Essentially, it refers to legal concepts that are ancient, important, and indisputable.

Why are hornbooks called hornbooks?

Are Hornbooks on Westlaw?

You can find this six-volume set in Westlaw Edge. A Hornbook is a single-volume treatise, published by West, written specifically for law students. These are books that cover a single topic, but not in so much depth or detail. For example, there is a hornbook that covers all of constitutional law in one volume.

Do law schools have supplemental essays?

Many law schools invite applicants to submit supplemental essays when applying to law school. Surprisingly, the topics you are likely to be asked about do not vary tremendously, and generally boil down to the following.

What is the former version of hornbooks?

Horn books, battledore books and crisscross books were all tablets designed primarily to teach the alphabet to children laid out as an abecedarium, the elementary method of teaching used from Antiquity to the Middle Ages where letters of the alphabet were taught by rote.