Category: Consumer Law

It has been over fifteen years since I first started to use Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law.  Since using an edition back in the late 1990s, it has grown in size (consistent with the increase in statutory provisions on commercial and consumer law).  However, some things have remained unchanged.  These include the editor, Francis Rose, who continues to expertly select just the right amount of material for students and busy practitioners.  It also includes the clear and up to date layout.  If you are studying commercial or consumer law, or a practising lawyer, Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016 is a text for you.

Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016 is split into four parts: statutes; statutory instruments; EU materials; and codes.  Each part includes a vast selection of material.  For example, the first part on statutes includes extracts from the following Acts: the Factors Act 1889, the Hire-Purchase Act 1964, the Misrepresentation Act 1967, the Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1973, the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Companies Act 2006 and (importantly) the Consumer Rights Act 2015.  The second part on statutory instruments includes: the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, the Payment Services Regulations 2009 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

The impressive feature of Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016 is the breadth of material it covers.  There is, to be fair to Professor Rose, enough material on either commercial law or consumer law alone to occupy its own Statute Book.  However, Professor Rose has managed to select just the right amount of material for everyday use.  While there will be times when the reader has to consult the full legislative provision, Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016 includes most of the key provisions.  This is some accomplishment in a fast moving areas of law like commercial or consumer law.

If you are looking for a text containing all of the key relevant provisions on commercial and consumer law, you should look no further than Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016.  At just under £17, it also provides excellent value for money.  The layout is clear and crisp; exactly what is needed when you are in exam conditions or at Court being asked direct questions by a judge.  If you have any interest in consumer or commercial law, Blackstone’s Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2015-2016 will form a valuable part of your personal library.

Reviewed on 24 December 2015

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