An Introduction to Law, published in separate English and Afrikaans editions, is a handbook for beginners and the uninitiated. It deals with the basic concepts of the law in a logical and comprehensive way and offers a concise explanation of how the law operates and of the administration of justice. The book has some unique features. There are practical exercises at the end of each chapter to help the student develop the ability to analyse information and apply knowledge. It also contains appendices in which step-by-step explanations are given of how to research and apply primary sources of the law such as statutes and decisions in court. The third edition became necessary mainly as a result of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The text was reworked in order to make some changes in response to readers’ comments on the first two editions.

Key Features

• Exercises at the end of each chapter
• Appendices with step-by-step explanations of how to research and apply primary sources of the law
• Available in English and Afrikaans

• The law in theory and at university
• South African law in historical and comparative perspective
• The law and social organisation: the administration of justice
• The law in a subjective sense: subjective rights and human rights
• The law in action: juristic facts
• Classification of the law

• Law students
• Lecturers
• Law libraries