| Summary: Black's Law Dictionary is the definitive legal lexicon. Currently on its Eighth edition, Blacks Law Dictionary servers as the go-to legal dictionary for students, lawyers, judges and lay people alike. |
Abbreviated and online representations notwithstanding, praise remains overwhelming for Black’s Law Dictionary (at least the 6th Edition) as a definitive source of basic word and concept definitions, as well as an exceptional starting point for finding legal case authorities.
Begun in 1891 and updated with a second edition in 1910, many years before the appearance of the Oxford English Dictionary, some argue that this reference set the stage for the reach and accessibility of the U.S.’s legal profession. It appeared initially during the same year that the U.S. Congress extended limited protection to foreign works through the Chace Act, thereby allowing greater access to world legal histories and shaping America’s self- and professional elements of jurisprudence.
Founded by Henry Campbell Black, this book remains a definitive “maximizing” legal dictionary, dedicated to coverage of the entire field of law, as opposed to other publications (printed or online), which specialize in sub-fields. Links to this resource frequently note its importance to a broad range of users, from novice legal researchers to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The latest Standard Edition (Eighth) was released in 2004, one product of a line of legal resources offered by Thompson West (West.Thompson.com).
Edited by Bryan A. Garner, the world’s leading legal lexicographer, this version has some 43,000 definitions, 3,000 quotations, alternative spellings or equivalent terms and expressions, thus allowing it to serve a thesaurus-like function in addition to maintaining and growing its basic dictionary focus. The inclusion of legal abbreviations, for example, is also seen as an invaluable aid to legal researchers, particularly when used in conjunction with other WestLaw resources aimed at case histories and more in-depth assessments of issues of contemporary legal importance.
According to Thompson West, the newest version is larger and more highly recommended that its 7th Edition, which received some negative commentary because of its apparent movement away from citation digests. The newest version has enhanced “key number” elements, which are seen as returning this important role.
New legal terms and concepts contained within the 8th Edition include “Amber Alter,” “antispamming law,” “Child Online Protection Act,” “cyberpiracy,” “cyberterrorism,” “chad,” “repressed-memory syndrom,” “ethnic cleanings,” and other national security and social conventions. Abridged, Pocket and Spanish-language versions are also available for purchase or accessible online via numerous legal resource portals.
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