This book provides an ideal introduction for anyone wondering whether to study law or those who are simply curious to know more about it. It is not confined to English law, but deals with the Western tradition of law as a whole. It outlines the key problems of constitutional law and the law of property, contracts, treaties, crimes and torts. It also explains the importance of law of forms, procedures, and interpretation, and examines how law relates to government, history, and justice. In this way it vividly brings out the intellectual and practical fascination of the subject. The book is easy to read and the chapters are self-contained. Where possible, technical terms are avoided. When unavoidable, they are explained both in the text and in a glossary at the end of the book. The author is a leading lawyer, legal historian, and legal philosopher. During his career in Oxford he taught many hundreds of students and it is from this experience that the book is drawn.