P&K is a classic as far as hornbooks go, and very useful as a study aid for a 1L torts class in my opinion. Though significantly longer and written in more cryptic language than a typical study aid (like "Emmanuel's" or "Explanations & Examples") P&K contains far more information. There is a reason why even the casebooks cite P&K when trying to illustrate difficult to comprehend points. As many have pointed out it still in the 5th edition and hasn't been updated since 1984, and as a result has fallen a little bit behind the times (esp. on products liability) but overall it is still very relevant. I haven't taken the time to read Dobbs' newer treatise on torts so I'll withhold judgment over which is better. It is kind of pricey and long but if you have the time and money to devote to this book, it will teach you tons! I also highly recommend "A Concise Restatement of Torts" by the A.L.I. to help out with all the restatements

"Hornbooks" are summaries of a body of law used by angst-ridden law students to amplify and clarify the often arcane materials contained in Casebooks. The law of torts is one of the primary building blocks of a first year legal education, along with Property and Contracts. Almost every 1L has a small library of these dark green encyclopedic volumes that weigh in by the kilogram.

PROSSER AND KEETON ON TORTS is one of the few Hornbooks (along with CALAMARI AND PERILLO ON CONTRACTS) that is considered an acceptable, though not authoritative, treatise for purposes of legal citation. Of course, cases themselves trump any other source material.

Having practiced law for fifteen years I was surprised to note that PROSSER AND KEETON ON TORTS is still in its Fifth Edition (updated with Pocket Parts, no doubt) just as it was when I first cracked the spine of my copy.

So many years after the intellectual concentration camp that is First Year Law School, I find that perusing Hornbooks for interesting minutae can be a rather enjoyable way spend a rainy, quiet afternoon. It's too bad that most law schools make reading the "Palsgraf" case feel like root canal without novocaine. Law has a beauty that is often ruined by legal education.

If you plan to carry your Hornbooks around, get yourself a litigation case on wheels; it'll spare you a future of back problems.

This is THE classic hornbook for torts, and is an indispensable part of any law student's library. I still find myself referring to this one from time to time. When I was in law school the lucid and clear explanations of law, combined with copious footnoted citations, made this book a joy to own and read.

There are a lot of general torts texts, but after eight years of practice, this one still ranks near the top.

This is THE classic hornbook for torts, and is an indispensable part of any law student's library. I still find myself referring to this one from time to time. When I was in law school the lucid and clear explanations of law, combined with copious footnoted citations, made this book a joy to own and read.

There are a lot of general torts texts, but after eight years of practice, this one still ranks near the top.

I used this book in law school, and continue to use it 7 years into my practice. However the pocket part is the same one I've always had -- 1988 -- I cannot find an update.

. . . and one you should probably acquire for your law library at some point; its explanations are clear and lucid, and it's probably the single most-cited work on torts apart from the Restatement (Second). However, if you're a One-L looking for a study aid, there are a couple of things you should be aware of.

First of all, the most recent edition of this text dates from 1984. That means quite a bit of it is at least slightly out of date, and some of it is massively so (particularly in the field of products liability). For a more up-to-date hornbook, consider Dobbs. (I bought and used both.)

Second, when your torts professor talks about "black-letter law," s/he's not talking about this hornbook or any other; s/he's usually talking about the Restatement (Second) of Torts (or, in products liability, the Restatement (Third)). As much as I like hornbooks (and I am emphatically not a fan of the "casebook" approach), I have to say that if you want to get _one_ text to supplement your casebook, you should pick up _A Concise Restatement of Torts_ from the American Law Institute. And, ideally, you should memorize large portions of it.

Of course, you can do what I did: buy all three. It's a great investment, and it will pay off in your studies; Prosser and Keeton provide much helpful discussion of points that Dobbs treats more briefly, and the Concise Restatement is much easier to understand once you've digested the hornbook(s).

At any rate, this _is_ a classic text and you shouldn't go without it for any longer than necessary. Just be aware of what you're buying and set your priorities accordingly.

If you are looking for a book to help you prepare for law school examinations, do not buy this book. Like all hornbooks this one is more appropriate for starting legal reasearch when you wish to find the major cases on a particular subject matter.