Property Law

Publisher: Pearson

Author: Roger J. Smith

Price: £36.99

Edition: 7th Edition (June 2011)

ISBN: 978-1-4082-5261-1

Buy from Pearson: Click Here

For many years, Roger J Smith's Property Law been recommended by a number of institutions as the most comprehensive text for undergraduate law students.  It is certainly one of the most sizeable texts: while property law is notoriously complex, there are many introductory texts which try to summarise the principles.  Because Property Law is more than an introductory text, it not only explains the law but also puts the law into context.  This seventh edition of Property Law, coming only two years since the last edition, has been updated to include the latest legislative (including the impact of the Equality Act 2010) and case-law developments (including Jones v Kernott [2010] 1 WLR 2401).

Written by an experienced academic lawyer, Roger J Smith, Property Law is split into four parts: introducing property law; general principles: creation and transfer of property interests; rights to enjoy land: estates and commonhold; and other interests in land.  Each part then includes a number of chapters.  For example, the part on introducing property law includes chapters on the following: basic property principles; the central concerns of property law; human rights; trusts and equitable interests; property interests; and the role of legislation and registration for land interests.  The part on other interests in land includes chapters on: licences; easements and profits; covenants; and mortgages.  This approach is both logical and comprehensive.

It is important for anyone studying property law to remember it is a technical area of law.  This results from the law being a mix of common law and statutory provisions.  Smith does, however, assume a level of knowledge.  If you have that level, you will find Property Law both engaging and authoritative.  It provides an excellent level of detail and has some great starting points for further research (which is often where extra marks are picked up).  Property Law also comes with a companion website.  This includes excellent interactive multiple choice and essay questions (with the site providing instant feedback and answers).  It also includes a useful 'case navigator' which goes some way to explaining the important cases.  Finally (and uniquely), it gives the reader access to an electronic copy of the text which can be highlighted and annotated.  While this is an admirable concept it is, for me, not as user friendly as I had hoped.  Firstly, the text cannot be saved locally (meaning a student has to be connected to the web).  Secondly, it can be quite sluggish to add notes or highlighting.

It has been nearly nine years since I last reviewed Roger J. Smith's Property Law.  In that time, there have been substantial developments which have been seamlessly incorporated into this latest edition.  I have no doubt that for any serious student (or, indeed, practitioner) dealing with property law, this latest edition of Property Law is an invaluable text.  It can, however, be (from time to time) difficult to read: more inexperienced readers may therefore benefit from some pre-reading of one of the numerous excellent introductory texts on property law.  Those who are looking for a thorough and engaging explanation of Property Law will, on the other hand, be delighted with the thorough and authoritative examination of the law.

Reviewed on 14 July 2012

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