Concepts and Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts

This is one of the few books that someone should consider reading before law school. Written in a fluid style, the book provides an adequate overview of what could be called "Contracts' Greatest Hits." While it is probably not sufficient to rely on for exams, it is a great introduction to legal thinking generally.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in contracts and contractual obligations. The concepts of contract law are often presented by law school professors as mysterious and lofty. Professor Chirelstein makes them easy to understand. As my first year contracts professor put it when speaking of the author of this book: "Oh. . . you mean the Great Chirelstein." And indeed he is!

This book is pure genius. The dense and mysterious subject of contracts is rendered both intelligible and sensible by the author's witty prose. Written in the friendly, almost conversational style familiar to his students, Chirelstein provides in just a few pages a thorough overview of the material.The book is short enough to read in a weekend, and should be mandatory reading for all first year law students. I read it twice; once at the beginning of the semester and once for finals (its that short) and found in invaluable.

The book gives an incredibly clear explanation of all the basics of contract law. Professor Chirelstien taught me Contracts at Columbia Law School in 1997, and his book amazingly explains the law of contracts in a basic form that is as useful for first-year law students as it would be informative for anyone wanting to learn about contracts.