Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

LOVELY TO HAVE AROUND, 30 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. It has a wonderful 'feel' to it; not only academically (it is very learned and authoritative, OF COURSE), but physically, too. Rather superficial of me to think so, no doubt, but how a book feels in my hand does matter. Pages interesting size and nice quality - all very pleasant to use - the whole thing has air of coherence about it.
Thank you, Professor Ormerod (and OUP too).

Essential Reading, 12 Sep 2008
As a recent law graduate I can safely say that this is without doubt the most comprehensive text on criminal law around. It presents a detailed analysis of all areas of the law in an interesting and thorough way. What really sets it apart from the other textbooks in the field is the depth of analysis, the way it gives the reader an understanding of the topic and challenges them to develop their own opinion.

It is certainly essential reading for anybody studying law, as the most up-to-date information is presented in a clear and easy to read way, without any 'dumbing down' of the content.

Highly recommended!

Why I recommend this book!!!, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this 12th edition as an update to the previous edition. In going through the 11th edition I found that it was great to work from as it was not only clear and precise but also easy to read! I feel that the 11th edition has been updated to an exceptional standard in this latest book, with new material on the corporate manslaughter offence, hundreds of new cases and most importantly a chapter on the new Fraud Act (an area for which he is renowned following on from his other books on that subject).

I must admit I don't tend to write reviews of books, but this really had to be the exception as I couldn't bypass an opportunity to tell others just what standard David Ormerod has reached in this book!

making criminal law logical, 20 Sep 2007
I provided my undergraduate law students with references to three established texts on each topic in Criminal Law and the vast majority told me that Smith and Hogan on Criminal Law by David Ormerod was their preferred text.

It clearly presents what the law is, where it has come from, how leading legal minds criticise it and therefore how it might be better developed in the future. The book guides the reader logically through the elements of offences and defences, allowing the novice to navigate its content with ease while developing a critical mindset.

What places it ahead of other comparable texts is that this logical construction does not signify a sacrific in depth of content. The book is renowned as the authority on criminal law for practitioners and students alike, and rightly retains this status through continuing to provide a solid basis in criminal law for the new student and a reliable and easily navigated reference base for the post grad or seasoned practitioner.

Average, 12 Apr 2007
Compared to Herring's text book on Criminal Law this isn't that good, I'm in my second year and compared to the afore mentioned I've barely used it. Some good criminal law texts for taking to class (much smaller books) are key cases, key facts and law express.

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

LOVELY TO HAVE AROUND, 30 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. It has a wonderful 'feel' to it; not only academically (it is very learned and authoritative, OF COURSE), but physically, too. Rather superficial of me to think so, no doubt, but how a book feels in my hand does matter. Pages interesting size and nice quality - all very pleasant to use - the whole thing has air of coherence about it.
Thank you, Professor Ormerod (and OUP too).

Essential Reading, 12 Sep 2008
As a recent law graduate I can safely say that this is without doubt the most comprehensive text on criminal law around. It presents a detailed analysis of all areas of the law in an interesting and thorough way. What really sets it apart from the other textbooks in the field is the depth of analysis, the way it gives the reader an understanding of the topic and challenges them to develop their own opinion.

It is certainly essential reading for anybody studying law, as the most up-to-date information is presented in a clear and easy to read way, without any 'dumbing down' of the content.

Highly recommended!

Why I recommend this book!!!, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this 12th edition as an update to the previous edition. In going through the 11th edition I found that it was great to work from as it was not only clear and precise but also easy to read! I feel that the 11th edition has been updated to an exceptional standard in this latest book, with new material on the corporate manslaughter offence, hundreds of new cases and most importantly a chapter on the new Fraud Act (an area for which he is renowned following on from his other books on that subject).

I must admit I don't tend to write reviews of books, but this really had to be the exception as I couldn't bypass an opportunity to tell others just what standard David Ormerod has reached in this book!

making criminal law logical, 20 Sep 2007
I provided my undergraduate law students with references to three established texts on each topic in Criminal Law and the vast majority told me that Smith and Hogan on Criminal Law by David Ormerod was their preferred text.

It clearly presents what the law is, where it has come from, how leading legal minds criticise it and therefore how it might be better developed in the future. The book guides the reader logically through the elements of offences and defences, allowing the novice to navigate its content with ease while developing a critical mindset.

What places it ahead of other comparable texts is that this logical construction does not signify a sacrific in depth of content. The book is renowned as the authority on criminal law for practitioners and students alike, and rightly retains this status through continuing to provide a solid basis in criminal law for the new student and a reliable and easily navigated reference base for the post grad or seasoned practitioner.

Average, 12 Apr 2007
Compared to Herring's text book on Criminal Law this isn't that good, I'm in my second year and compared to the afore mentioned I've barely used it. Some good criminal law texts for taking to class (much smaller books) are key cases, key facts and law express.

So boring it is hard to follow, 08 Oct 2007
Boring, boring, boring. I like criminal law. It was my best subject last year but how can one textbook take such an interesting subject and make it duller than the dullest old dullard in five minutes flat? Every thing that was really exciting in lectures was reduced to horrid old grey slop in this book. I'd made some notes in the margin (that's because there isn't enough detail either) so I couldn't get my money back so I just bought another textbook to replace it so that my will to live and my interest in criminal law wouldn't be evaporated by this book. People, there are much better books out there so go and buy one.

Excellent guide to the subject, 24 Feb 2004
Criminal Law is a subject many people find fascinating, but with quite a few tricky concepts lurking in the syllabus, it can sometimes be difficult to get to grips with the key issues.

This book is highly recommended to those studying Criminal Law - I used an earlier edition during my first year at university and found it very easy to read and follow. You do not feel, for this straightforward style, that you are missing out on the detail - the author's coverage of the key cases is really superb - and this is a subject where you will need to know those cases! There is no needless waffle here - just the principles you need to understand to do well.

Excellent Book, for Both A-level and undergraduates, 26 Sep 2000
An excellent text and well worth buying especially for those doing the OCR A-level syllabus in the UK. I used it almost exlusively for my A level studies and found it both clear and concise, and yet it never lacked in detail or insight.

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

LOVELY TO HAVE AROUND, 30 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. It has a wonderful 'feel' to it; not only academically (it is very learned and authoritative, OF COURSE), but physically, too. Rather superficial of me to think so, no doubt, but how a book feels in my hand does matter. Pages interesting size and nice quality - all very pleasant to use - the whole thing has air of coherence about it.
Thank you, Professor Ormerod (and OUP too).

Essential Reading, 12 Sep 2008
As a recent law graduate I can safely say that this is without doubt the most comprehensive text on criminal law around. It presents a detailed analysis of all areas of the law in an interesting and thorough way. What really sets it apart from the other textbooks in the field is the depth of analysis, the way it gives the reader an understanding of the topic and challenges them to develop their own opinion.

It is certainly essential reading for anybody studying law, as the most up-to-date information is presented in a clear and easy to read way, without any 'dumbing down' of the content.

Highly recommended!

Why I recommend this book!!!, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this 12th edition as an update to the previous edition. In going through the 11th edition I found that it was great to work from as it was not only clear and precise but also easy to read! I feel that the 11th edition has been updated to an exceptional standard in this latest book, with new material on the corporate manslaughter offence, hundreds of new cases and most importantly a chapter on the new Fraud Act (an area for which he is renowned following on from his other books on that subject).

I must admit I don't tend to write reviews of books, but this really had to be the exception as I couldn't bypass an opportunity to tell others just what standard David Ormerod has reached in this book!

making criminal law logical, 20 Sep 2007
I provided my undergraduate law students with references to three established texts on each topic in Criminal Law and the vast majority told me that Smith and Hogan on Criminal Law by David Ormerod was their preferred text.

It clearly presents what the law is, where it has come from, how leading legal minds criticise it and therefore how it might be better developed in the future. The book guides the reader logically through the elements of offences and defences, allowing the novice to navigate its content with ease while developing a critical mindset.

What places it ahead of other comparable texts is that this logical construction does not signify a sacrific in depth of content. The book is renowned as the authority on criminal law for practitioners and students alike, and rightly retains this status through continuing to provide a solid basis in criminal law for the new student and a reliable and easily navigated reference base for the post grad or seasoned practitioner.

Average, 12 Apr 2007
Compared to Herring's text book on Criminal Law this isn't that good, I'm in my second year and compared to the afore mentioned I've barely used it. Some good criminal law texts for taking to class (much smaller books) are key cases, key facts and law express.

So boring it is hard to follow, 08 Oct 2007
Boring, boring, boring. I like criminal law. It was my best subject last year but how can one textbook take such an interesting subject and make it duller than the dullest old dullard in five minutes flat? Every thing that was really exciting in lectures was reduced to horrid old grey slop in this book. I'd made some notes in the margin (that's because there isn't enough detail either) so I couldn't get my money back so I just bought another textbook to replace it so that my will to live and my interest in criminal law wouldn't be evaporated by this book. People, there are much better books out there so go and buy one.

Excellent guide to the subject, 24 Feb 2004
Criminal Law is a subject many people find fascinating, but with quite a few tricky concepts lurking in the syllabus, it can sometimes be difficult to get to grips with the key issues.

This book is highly recommended to those studying Criminal Law - I used an earlier edition during my first year at university and found it very easy to read and follow. You do not feel, for this straightforward style, that you are missing out on the detail - the author's coverage of the key cases is really superb - and this is a subject where you will need to know those cases! There is no needless waffle here - just the principles you need to understand to do well.

Excellent Book, for Both A-level and undergraduates, 26 Sep 2000
An excellent text and well worth buying especially for those doing the OCR A-level syllabus in the UK. I used it almost exlusively for my A level studies and found it both clear and concise, and yet it never lacked in detail or insight.

All you need for CPE/GDL Criminal Law, 04 Feb 2006
This book is excellent for the British law conversion course. I imagine that a full law degree may need more depth but this book offers great analysis of the key issues, all the relevant case law with just the right balance of discussion and theory as well as useful diagrams. It is also an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I have a book shelf of student criminal law books (including such delights as Simester and Sullivan, Padfield etc) and this is far and away the best. I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

excellent read, 12 Sep 2003
easy to read language. complete and concise. up to date with the latest cases. a very recommended text to buy.

Very concise and practical reading for law exams, 05 Mar 2002
The book gives a summary to major topics covered for undergraduate law exams, in a nice easy read. All the relevant cases are mentioned with summary of the cases facts. It is very handy as a refresher before exams as the language is straight forward and easy to read.

The Ideal Tonic For An A'Level Law Students!!, 22 Dec 2000
I just started my A'Levels in September ... As I was struggling with my A'Levels, I would leave my Law homework until the very last minute because I was keep on putting it off.

That was until I got my hands on this textbook, which is really worth it's weight in GOLD.

By reflecting the essence of this complex part of this particular A'Level, the book really is the ideal tonic for any A'Level Law student problem(s).

As this particular book is listed from the AQA Examination Board's "Reading List", it is essential that A'Level candidates. (either A'Level students from the AQA Exam board or from any other Exam Board) Any candidate should purchase this textbook - essential for those A grades!!

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

LOVELY TO HAVE AROUND, 30 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. It has a wonderful 'feel' to it; not only academically (it is very learned and authoritative, OF COURSE), but physically, too. Rather superficial of me to think so, no doubt, but how a book feels in my hand does matter. Pages interesting size and nice quality - all very pleasant to use - the whole thing has air of coherence about it.
Thank you, Professor Ormerod (and OUP too).

Essential Reading, 12 Sep 2008
As a recent law graduate I can safely say that this is without doubt the most comprehensive text on criminal law around. It presents a detailed analysis of all areas of the law in an interesting and thorough way. What really sets it apart from the other textbooks in the field is the depth of analysis, the way it gives the reader an understanding of the topic and challenges them to develop their own opinion.

It is certainly essential reading for anybody studying law, as the most up-to-date information is presented in a clear and easy to read way, without any 'dumbing down' of the content.

Highly recommended!

Why I recommend this book!!!, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this 12th edition as an update to the previous edition. In going through the 11th edition I found that it was great to work from as it was not only clear and precise but also easy to read! I feel that the 11th edition has been updated to an exceptional standard in this latest book, with new material on the corporate manslaughter offence, hundreds of new cases and most importantly a chapter on the new Fraud Act (an area for which he is renowned following on from his other books on that subject).

I must admit I don't tend to write reviews of books, but this really had to be the exception as I couldn't bypass an opportunity to tell others just what standard David Ormerod has reached in this book!

making criminal law logical, 20 Sep 2007
I provided my undergraduate law students with references to three established texts on each topic in Criminal Law and the vast majority told me that Smith and Hogan on Criminal Law by David Ormerod was their preferred text.

It clearly presents what the law is, where it has come from, how leading legal minds criticise it and therefore how it might be better developed in the future. The book guides the reader logically through the elements of offences and defences, allowing the novice to navigate its content with ease while developing a critical mindset.

What places it ahead of other comparable texts is that this logical construction does not signify a sacrific in depth of content. The book is renowned as the authority on criminal law for practitioners and students alike, and rightly retains this status through continuing to provide a solid basis in criminal law for the new student and a reliable and easily navigated reference base for the post grad or seasoned practitioner.

Average, 12 Apr 2007
Compared to Herring's text book on Criminal Law this isn't that good, I'm in my second year and compared to the afore mentioned I've barely used it. Some good criminal law texts for taking to class (much smaller books) are key cases, key facts and law express.

So boring it is hard to follow, 08 Oct 2007
Boring, boring, boring. I like criminal law. It was my best subject last year but how can one textbook take such an interesting subject and make it duller than the dullest old dullard in five minutes flat? Every thing that was really exciting in lectures was reduced to horrid old grey slop in this book. I'd made some notes in the margin (that's because there isn't enough detail either) so I couldn't get my money back so I just bought another textbook to replace it so that my will to live and my interest in criminal law wouldn't be evaporated by this book. People, there are much better books out there so go and buy one.

Excellent guide to the subject, 24 Feb 2004
Criminal Law is a subject many people find fascinating, but with quite a few tricky concepts lurking in the syllabus, it can sometimes be difficult to get to grips with the key issues.

This book is highly recommended to those studying Criminal Law - I used an earlier edition during my first year at university and found it very easy to read and follow. You do not feel, for this straightforward style, that you are missing out on the detail - the author's coverage of the key cases is really superb - and this is a subject where you will need to know those cases! There is no needless waffle here - just the principles you need to understand to do well.

Excellent Book, for Both A-level and undergraduates, 26 Sep 2000
An excellent text and well worth buying especially for those doing the OCR A-level syllabus in the UK. I used it almost exlusively for my A level studies and found it both clear and concise, and yet it never lacked in detail or insight.

All you need for CPE/GDL Criminal Law, 04 Feb 2006
This book is excellent for the British law conversion course. I imagine that a full law degree may need more depth but this book offers great analysis of the key issues, all the relevant case law with just the right balance of discussion and theory as well as useful diagrams. It is also an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I have a book shelf of student criminal law books (including such delights as Simester and Sullivan, Padfield etc) and this is far and away the best. I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

excellent read, 12 Sep 2003
easy to read language. complete and concise. up to date with the latest cases. a very recommended text to buy.

Very concise and practical reading for law exams, 05 Mar 2002
The book gives a summary to major topics covered for undergraduate law exams, in a nice easy read. All the relevant cases are mentioned with summary of the cases facts. It is very handy as a refresher before exams as the language is straight forward and easy to read.

The Ideal Tonic For An A'Level Law Students!!, 22 Dec 2000
I just started my A'Levels in September ... As I was struggling with my A'Levels, I would leave my Law homework until the very last minute because I was keep on putting it off.

That was until I got my hands on this textbook, which is really worth it's weight in GOLD.

By reflecting the essence of this complex part of this particular A'Level, the book really is the ideal tonic for any A'Level Law student problem(s).

As this particular book is listed from the AQA Examination Board's "Reading List", it is essential that A'Level candidates. (either A'Level students from the AQA Exam board or from any other Exam Board) Any candidate should purchase this textbook - essential for those A grades!!

Book good, but needs more, 10 Sep 2003
I found the book good, but if you are doing undergrad you will need more to understand the cases and examples this book cites. I would recomend it for GCE level law, and advanced level to help the student learn the basics.

Very good, contained everything I needed and more, 10 Feb 2003
I bought this book for a module I was doing on my first year undergraduate Economics course and found that this book contained all the information covered in this module.

The language is quite simple to understand and there are a lot of cases at the back to help illustrate certain points made, comparisons were sometimes made between cases. This was particularly good as during the exams we were meant to refer to relevant cases and to compare and contrast certain cases, this book did all that and also explained how the outcome was achieved.

I would strongly recommend this book if you are studying undergraduate law or a law module, if this is one of the books that appears on your reading list - get it.

From a teacher's perspective as a student text, 24 Nov 2000
Smith and Keenan is one of the classic law texts for just about any course below undergraduate level. It is comprehensive while being just short of complicated and forbidding. The case section at the back eliminates the need for a seperate case book. If students can be encouraged to read it they will be rewarded by the experience. Excellent value for money.

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections at the end of each chapter, which really obviate the need to buy a casebook as well as a textbook.

I really enjoyed Criminal Law, but used to dread my original textbook which was far too dry, wordy and contained too many of the author's own thoughts - not very helpful when you're preparing for tutorials and probably even worse when revising!

Luckily this book saved my life! I would say it is a very good introduction to the subject, excellent for quick reference and quite honestly more than sufficient to do well in exams.



Best first year book, 14 Sep 2007
This was the only book that I had to read in my first year that I actually liked. It was clear and written in a kind of friendly way so that you felt like the writer was trying to explain things rather than prove how clever he was to understand such complicated things. I found the two section approach useful becuase I could start with the basics and stick with that side if I needed to like with intoxication or go over to the hard side with easier topics or so that i could write an essay. It is pretty mcuh like two books in one which is great bacuse it saves money too. The best thing is that it makes the topics interesting. My gran read the chapter on murder although I don't really know why and even she said it was great and kept telling me things that she knew. She said that she'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to write a detetctive story becuase they often get things about the law wrong and it really annoys her. I'd recoommend it to anyone studying criminal law.

Good but not the best, 06 Aug 2007
I recommended this text but then felt the need to warn students about some of the dangers of using it. There are quite a lot of errors and there is little original material or analysis. The author has produced a clear account of the law, but he is not renowned for criminal law scholarship, and the book lacks the insights that come from a text written by a criminal law expert. I prefer the editions of Card Cross and Jones, and, for the better students, Smith and Hogan is still my ideal.

Basic Textbook Reading, 28 Jul 2007
'Criminal Law' by Herring is one of the clearest, tidiest and most student-friendly law textbook I have ever read. From the law-summary at the start of each chapter, to the handy bullet points, examples and exam-tips it is an absolute treasure for students. The use of colours also sets it apart from its fellow, drab, criminal law textbooks (nobody wants to read 40 pages of tiny letters on brown-grey paper).

I have recommended this book to every fellow student who was having problems understanding the intricacies of criminal law. It's clear writing-style and useful question-solving diagrams will thus be a lifesaver when it comes to answering problem questions.

Essay questions, on the other hand, will not be so easy. This book uses a mechanism that splits every topic into 'the law' and 'the theory', the law setting out how it all works, the theory explaining how it came about and what the problems are. Sadly, the theory part is not as clearly written as the law part. Usually the author has extracted parts of essays and papers on the subject, but these essays are not always as clearly written (at least, not from a students' point of view). I often found myself using Herring's 'criminal law' textbook to get an understanding of the law and to be able to solve problem questions, and combining two other textbooks to gain an understanding of the theory - in order to answer essay questions.

As criminal law is usually more focused on problem questions, students will usually be able to solve the essay questions on exams by using their knowledge of the law. A deeper understanding of the ideological undercurrents of criminal law is thus not strictly necessary (though it is always advisable to grasp the basics, if only to better understand why some judges decide the way they do).

LOVELY TO HAVE AROUND, 30 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. It has a wonderful 'feel' to it; not only academically (it is very learned and authoritative, OF COURSE), but physically, too. Rather superficial of me to think so, no doubt, but how a book feels in my hand does matter. Pages interesting size and nice quality - all very pleasant to use - the whole thing has air of coherence about it.
Thank you, Professor Ormerod (and OUP too).

Essential Reading, 12 Sep 2008
As a recent law graduate I can safely say that this is without doubt the most comprehensive text on criminal law around. It presents a detailed analysis of all areas of the law in an interesting and thorough way. What really sets it apart from the other textbooks in the field is the depth of analysis, the way it gives the reader an understanding of the topic and challenges them to develop their own opinion.

It is certainly essential reading for anybody studying law, as the most up-to-date information is presented in a clear and easy to read way, without any 'dumbing down' of the content.

Highly recommended!

Why I recommend this book!!!, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this 12th edition as an update to the previous edition. In going through the 11th edition I found that it was great to work from as it was not only clear and precise but also easy to read! I feel that the 11th edition has been updated to an exceptional standard in this latest book, with new material on the corporate manslaughter offence, hundreds of new cases and most importantly a chapter on the new Fraud Act (an area for which he is renowned following on from his other books on that subject).

I must admit I don't tend to write reviews of books, but this really had to be the exception as I couldn't bypass an opportunity to tell others just what standard David Ormerod has reached in this book!

making criminal law logical, 20 Sep 2007
I provided my undergraduate law students with references to three established texts on each topic in Criminal Law and the vast majority told me that Smith and Hogan on Criminal Law by David Ormerod was their preferred text.

It clearly presents what the law is, where it has come from, how leading legal minds criticise it and therefore how it might be better developed in the future. The book guides the reader logically through the elements of offences and defences, allowing the novice to navigate its content with ease while developing a critical mindset.

What places it ahead of other comparable texts is that this logical construction does not signify a sacrific in depth of content. The book is renowned as the authority on criminal law for practitioners and students alike, and rightly retains this status through continuing to provide a solid basis in criminal law for the new student and a reliable and easily navigated reference base for the post grad or seasoned practitioner.

Average, 12 Apr 2007
Compared to Herring's text book on Criminal Law this isn't that good, I'm in my second year and compared to the afore mentioned I've barely used it. Some good criminal law texts for taking to class (much smaller books) are key cases, key facts and law express.

So boring it is hard to follow, 08 Oct 2007
Boring, boring, boring. I like criminal law. It was my best subject last year but how can one textbook take such an interesting subject and make it duller than the dullest old dullard in five minutes flat? Every thing that was really exciting in lectures was reduced to horrid old grey slop in this book. I'd made some notes in the margin (that's because there isn't enough detail either) so I couldn't get my money back so I just bought another textbook to replace it so that my will to live and my interest in criminal law wouldn't be evaporated by this book. People, there are much better books out there so go and buy one.

Excellent guide to the subject, 24 Feb 2004
Criminal Law is a subject many people find fascinating, but with quite a few tricky concepts lurking in the syllabus, it can sometimes be difficult to get to grips with the key issues.

This book is highly recommended to those studying Criminal Law - I used an earlier edition during my first year at university and found it very easy to read and follow. You do not feel, for this straightforward style, that you are missing out on the detail - the author's coverage of the key cases is really superb - and this is a subject where you will need to know those cases! There is no needless waffle here - just the principles you need to understand to do well.

Excellent Book, for Both A-level and undergraduates, 26 Sep 2000
An excellent text and well worth buying especially for those doing the OCR A-level syllabus in the UK. I used it almost exlusively for my A level studies and found it both clear and concise, and yet it never lacked in detail or insight.

All you need for CPE/GDL Criminal Law, 04 Feb 2006
This book is excellent for the British law conversion course. I imagine that a full law degree may need more depth but this book offers great analysis of the key issues, all the relevant case law with just the right balance of discussion and theory as well as useful diagrams. It is also an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I have a book shelf of student criminal law books (including such delights as Simester and Sullivan, Padfield etc) and this is far and away the best. I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

excellent read, 12 Sep 2003
easy to read language. complete and concise. up to date with the latest cases. a very recommended text to buy.

Very concise and practical reading for law exams, 05 Mar 2002
The book gives a summary to major topics covered for undergraduate law exams, in a nice easy read. All the relevant cases are mentioned with summary of the cases facts. It is very handy as a refresher before exams as the language is straight forward and easy to read.

The Ideal Tonic For An A'Level Law Students!!, 22 Dec 2000
I just started my A'Levels in September ... As I was struggling with my A'Levels, I would leave my Law homework until the very last minute because I was keep on putting it off.

That was until I got my hands on this textbook, which is really worth it's weight in GOLD.

By reflecting the essence of this complex part of this particular A'Level, the book really is the ideal tonic for any A'Level Law student problem(s).

As this particular book is listed from the AQA Examination Board's "Reading List", it is essential that A'Level candidates. (either A'Level students from the AQA Exam board or from any other Exam Board) Any candidate should purchase this textbook - essential for those A grades!!

Book good, but needs more, 10 Sep 2003
I found the book good, but if you are doing undergrad you will need more to understand the cases and examples this book cites. I would recomend it for GCE level law, and advanced level to help the student learn the basics.

Very good, contained everything I needed and more, 10 Feb 2003
I bought this book for a module I was doing on my first year undergraduate Economics course and found that this book contained all the information covered in this module.

The language is quite simple to understand and there are a lot of cases at the back to help illustrate certain points made, comparisons were sometimes made between cases. This was particularly good as during the exams we were meant to refer to relevant cases and to compare and contrast certain cases, this book did all that and also explained how the outcome was achieved.

I would strongly recommend this book if you are studying undergraduate law or a law module, if this is one of the books that appears on your reading list - get it.

From a teacher's perspective as a student text, 24 Nov 2000
Smith and Keenan is one of the classic law texts for just about any course below undergraduate level. It is comprehensive while being just short of complicated and forbidding. The case section at the back eliminates the need for a seperate case book. If students can be encouraged to read it they will be rewarded by the experience. Excellent value for money.

Tom, Tom the tailor's son, 05 Dec 2006
Alfred Thompson Denning was a man who, while accepting that his first name was Alfred, preferred to be addressed as Tom.

Though he became one of the leading judges of his time, he came from modest roots - the town of Whitchurch in Hampshire where his Dad was a tailor. To this day, his old home town boasts a silk mill on a clear chalkstream - the river Test.

'The Discipline of Law' is part of a series of five, which he described as 'the Christmas books'. He did that because they had been written in successive years during the Christmas vacation. Another in the series is 'Landmarks in the Law'.

For me, these books were like meeting Tom Denning down the pub, off-duty, and getting him to explain to you the background to the way the law works and how you can somehow make a difference to justice within the framework of the process of the law.

There's not much about the theatrical side of the law. The series mainly addresses the issues which had moved him personally in the course of his work and the features of the legal landscape which became clearer to him as his career developed.

If he had been an angler, he would have been like George Skues. Methodical, innovative and just a little bit mischeivous.

Wait for the second edition, 28 Aug 2008

This is a useful, clear revision aid but it was out of date on fraud even at the time of publication in 2007; the authors(writing in 2006) did not even mention the Fraud Act 2006, or at least the Bill going through Parliament. It has been in force since January 2007. Chapter 15 on Deception offences is seriously misleading because of this omission. I see there's a new edition coming out with this chapter replaced by one on Fraud and if I had realised this I would have waited to buy that.

Masterful, 23 Nov 2007
Expresses the law and expresses and speeds up learning. Although meant for revision I have used it for pre-seminar study and it has helped. Recommend thatit be used before lectures or seminars (as it puts the topic in perspective)and then also for revision.



Excellent, 12 Apr 2007
This book is great for explaining the law in way that other books can't quite achieve, I take this to seminars and use it to help me answer scenario questions, it also has useful exam hints which get you thinking outside the box and approaching questions much better. I used this when I was writing an essay and some useful advice reinforced how I should be anwsering the question (differently to most of my classmates!), consequently I got the second highest mark in the year.

Thank you, 07 Nov 2006
At last a revision guide that tells you what to do as well as what the law is. It's not exam time yet, but I'm using this already for seminars. It makes getting through all the material so much easier - especially since all our lecturers don't really explain much. The others in the series are just as good. I'm doing ELP, Crime and Land this year - so I've bought the Law Expresses for those too. I'll be getting contract and tort next year.

Excellent, 18 Oct 2006
I bought this book because I was struggling with Criminal Law. This really helped to explain difficult ideas well without dumbing stuff down and my marks are already beginning to improve as it tells you what to do with the law, not just what it is.

amazing, 15 May 2008
It got me a first from Oxford.

buy it

:)


Concise, written in an accessible style, uses plain english and still has academic commentary., 17 Oct 2007
After having a bit of a battle with the recommended textbooks for Criminal Law when I studied it last year, I started looking around. I had used the Torts book in the same series which was fantastic so thought I'd give Herring's book a shot.

All I can say is don't let the compact size put you off. Herring has succeeded in covering an impressive amount of material, doesn't skimp on the detail and still includes academic commentary, though a nice proportionate amount. Herring has a very accessible style of writing and simply uses plain english, which is well needed for some of the more complex topics.

The layout of a textbook makes a huge difference and this book is ideal with clear paragraph divisions and sub-headings. I was also very impressed with the case notes sections a