This title is aimed at students new to the study of jurisprudence. Its intention is to explain the often complex and difficult ideas in legal philosophy as clearly as possible, without over-simplifying them to the point of distortion. As well as introducing the reader to the fundamental themes in legal philosophy, it also describes and comments critically on the writing of the foremost legal theorists. The text is supplemented by Suggested Further Readings which contain references to related materials. For the third edition, the book has been extensively revised, taking into account the most recent scholarly work, and elaborating on many of the key ideas and arguments.