William Blackstone

Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) was a prominent public figure in the eighteenth century. Judge and jurist, barrister and politician, his work has had a profound influence on the Anglo-American legal tradition. The first Vinerian Professor of English Law, Blackstone was a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas at the time of his death. The Commentaries published in eight editions in his lifetime, and a posthumous ninth edition in 1783.

Wilfrid Prest is Professor Emeritus of Law and History at the University of Adelaide. He is the author of William Blackstone: Law and Letters in the Eighteenth Century (OUP 2012) as well as many other works of legal history.

"Reading the Commentaries sheds light on the character of English law before the establishment of legal positivism, and for that reason it may hold a special interest for scholars." - Dick Helmholz, New Rambler

"Blackstones Commentaries remain a central source for understanding both historical and modern Anglo-American law as well as many debates in Anglo-American legal philosophy and Oxford University Presss new edition of the Commentaries offers a valuable new resource for studying them." - Brian Bix, Jotwell