Month: May 2014

This eighth edition of Commercial Law by Paul Dobson and Rob Stokes (it is, in fact, only the second edition under the title ‘Commercial Law‘; the first six were published under the title ‘Sale of Goods and Consumer Credit‘) is an extremely welcome addition to the relatively few textbooks covering consumer and commercial law.  It has been updated to include the latest developments in the law including the Supreme Court’s decision in Office of Fair Trading v Abbey National plc & Others [2009] UKSC 6 and the emerging case-law dealing with the implementation of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.  These revisions are seamlessly incorporated and Commercial Law continues to be indispensable reading for any commercial or consumer lawyer.

The change in the textbook’s title for the seventh edition, from Sale of Goods and Consumer Credit to Commercial Law, was partly driven by the introduction of a new section on agency law.  This latest edition of Commercial Law continues to be split into three parts: sale of goods; consumer credit; and agency.  It is fairly rare for academic textbooks to have significant coverage of consumer credit law.  While some recent commercial law textbooks have devoted a chapter or so to this topic, the only textbook providing significant coverage for less than £100 is Consumer Credit: Law, Practice and Precedents.  This is therefore a significant advantage over competing texts (particularly given the significant attention that consumer credit is currently receiving).

Commercial Law is very well-written.  It deals with some rather complicated topics in a straight-forward and practical way.  It strikes a fine balance between explaining the essentials without ‘bogging-down’ the reader in technical detail: this is a wonderful achievement (particularly for a text dealing with notoriously complicated subjects like sales of goods, consumer credit and agency).  The text is also well laid out: the reader can quickly distinguish between text, headings and materials.  The list of further reading (while fairly limited) provides some useful sources of further material for those looking to consider some of the points in more detail.

If you are looking for an excellent overview of sale of goods, consumer credit and agency law, you should seriously consider Commercial Law: it provides a fantastic introduction to these topics.  The key principles are explained a simple and logical way allowing them to be quickly understood by both experienced and inexperienced commercial lawyers.  If future editions include a more detailed list of further reading, it will provide a more comprehensive source on commercial law.  This is, however, a minor issue in an otherwise excellent text.  Its price, at just over £30, also means that it is fantastic value for money compared to its competitors.  I have no doubt that it will continue to be a well-regarded text for years to come.

Reviewed on 25 May 2014