Page:Legal Bibliography, Numbers 1 to 12, 1881 to 1890.djvu/54

A New, Thorough, and Practical Treatise on Railway Law. WOOD ON THE LAW OF RAILROADS^ By H. G. WOOD (author of works on Limitations, Nuisances, Master and Servant, Insurance, &c., &c.). In three large volumes. Bound in Law Sheep. Price $15.00 net. Ready Oct. i, 1885. Chap. I. Railroads; What are ; How created. II. Capital Stock; What is; Subscriptions'to. III. Stockholders. IV. Forfeiture of Shares. V. Preferred Stock, &c. VI. Transfer of Shares. VII. Municipal Subscriptions. VIII. Corporate Meetings and Directors. IX. Officers and Agents. X. Corporate Powers. XI. Acquisition of Right of Way. CONTENTS. LP. XII. What Acts are legalized by Legisla- tive Grant. XIII. Eminent Domain. XIV. Eminent Domain, continued. XV. Construction of Railroads. XVI. Mechanics' Lien. XVII. Railroads as Carriers of Passengers. XVIII. Negligence. XIX. Injuries by Fire. XX. Torts, Liability for. XXI. Tickets; Expulsion of Passengers. Chap. XXII. Sleeping and Parlor Cars. XXIII. Liability to Employees. XXIV. Fellow-Servants. XXV. Baggage. XXVI. Injuries resulting in Death. XXVII. Injuries to Live Stock. XXVIII. Carriers of Things. XXIX. Mortgages. XXX. Receivers. XXXI. Consolidation; Leases. XXXIL Remedies. Mr. Wood is well known as the author of some of the most useful and practical treatises now before the profession. In addition to being an expert writer of law books, he has had a large experience as a practitioner in this branch of the law, having been for many years the attorney for a leading railway company, and knowing from the details of actual practice what is needed by counsel either for or against a railroad. An examination of the topics covered in the Table of Contents, and of the book itself, will show that the author has not evaded any difficult questions, but has patiently and carefully examined the cases, and honestly and fairly stated results, without obtruding his own opinions as against the decisions of the courts. With the aid of a very full index, a lawyer can find in these volumes the law on any subject of railway litigation, whether affecting the railroad itself or its stockholders, as a corporation, or in its varied relations to the community at large. One great merit of Mr. Wood's books (in which this work shares) lies in the full abstract which he presents of the important cases, — thus rendering constant reference to the reports unnecessary. The original intention was to Jimit the treatise to two volumes ; but although all brevity and condensation were used that were consistent with a clear and thorough statement of the law, the great scope of the subject, and the number of points of law involved, expanded it to three volumes. No lawyer who has sufficient practice, however, to justify the purchase of books will regret an expansion M'hich results, not from diffuseness, but from thoroughness of discussion and citation. To instance some of the merits of this work, the chapter on "Corporate Powers" is alone worth the price of the whole work to any attorney having occasion to look up questions under that head ; as this chapter, taken in connection with those on "Corporate Meetings," on "Directors," and on "Officers and Agents," covers fully the powers, functions, and duties of railway companies. The chapter on "Eminent Domain" is an exhaustive treatise upon that important topic, — covering every feature of it. The same is true of the chapters on "Capital Stock," "Stockholders," and " Municipal Subscriptions." The chapters on "Railways as Carriers of Passen- gers," "Negligence," "Injuries by Fire," "Injuries to Live Stock," "Sleeping and Parlor Cars," "Tickets," and "Baggage," contain everything that bears upon most of the cases of litigation against railroads by the travelling public and the abutters upon railways. As Mr. Wood is the author of the only American treatise on the Law of Master and Servant, it is unnecessary to say that the chapters on "injuries to Employees " and on " Fellow-Servants" are especially valuable. This fresh and vigorous treatise, containing the law as it now exists, and as it will probably be for years to come, will be found to be BY FAR THE MOST PRACTICAL AND THOROUGH WORK ON RAILWAY LAW EVER PUBLISHED. AMERICAN STATUTE LAW (ready in January, 1886). AMERICAN STATUTE LAW : being an Analytical and Compared Digest of the Private Civil Statute Law of all the States and Territories of the United States, as it stood January i, 1886. By F. J. STIMSON, author of Stimson's Law Glossary. This work, now passing through the press as rapidly as the labor of careful verification will admit, has an object never before attempted. It is to combine in one or two volumes the codes and laws of the thirty-eight States, the District, and the eight organized Territories comprising the United States of America. These laws now fill, in their most concise form, two hundred and thirty-five octavo volumes, costing nearly a thousand dollars. It is practically impossible for any lawyer to procure them. Very few libraries, even (except some of the more complete State libraries), possess a complete set of the latest revisions, and the subsequent session laws required to supplement them. Mr. Stimson's work, therefore, will be indispensable to every lawyer having more than a local practice, as showing briefly but clearly, in the form of a code or volume of Revised Statutes, the existing law upon a given subject in any or all of the States ; and enabling the reader either to advise a client, or to understand the bearing of a decision, without reference to a library. Every statement, how- ever, is supported by a reference to the page and volume in which the full law can be found, — in case verification should be deemed advisable. Even those lawyers who rarely have cases involving the law of other States will find this book of the greatest assistance, — first, in interpreting the statutes of their own State ; second, in establishing the common law. For the different States have many statutes substantially identical, and all but one have codes (or revisions of statutes) which are to a greater or less extent codes of the com- mon law. Some of the States even expressly repeal the common law, and profess to embody k in their codes. Whenever, therefore, a State law is ambiguous or uncertain, it maybe explained by reference to jVIr. STIiMSON's Analytical Digest ; and where there is no statute law upon a subject, the common law of the State maybe assumed to accord with that law which is pronounced in the greatest num- ber of other States. Even the civil law, as Jt exists in Louisiana and a few Western States, is also (for the first time, it is believed) incorporated with the common law in this work. It is the author's aim to complete and supplement the digests of case law, so that the lawyer who has this work and the United States Digest will have in his possession all the law of all the States and Territories in the Union. No person who needs a digest of cases can dispense with this digest of the laws. Lawyers, notaries-public, and State commissioners will be enabled by this work to draw up and execute deeds, wills, and conveyances intended to have effect in any State or Territory. Finally, to the student of law and the jurist this work promises to be of the greatest interest and value. Wc have here the efforts and experience in legislation of nearly fifty independent States. We have both their interpretation and their modifications of the common and the civil law. The reader may trace between the lines the progress and spirit of republican civilization. Orders in advance for Stimson's American Sta tute Law will be received by Mr. Soule or by any law bookseller. Further announcements of price and exact date of publication will be made later. The volume whose title is given above, consisting entirely of private civil law, is complete in itself, and contains all that can ordinarily be wanted by the practising lawyer. Another volume will follow, containing the public, corpora- tion, and remedial law. This latter volume will be of immense use to railways, insurance companies, and all other corporations whose business and, often, whose charters are necessarily governed by the law of more than one State.