Below you will find a variety of resources listed that can be helpful for you in understanding the law of contracts. We have listed the resources according to different types. The types are described below.
Online Resources: These are collections of resources that are available online. Online books are also hyperlinked when available through our library as e-books. Aspen and West Academic provide e-books and include a variety of the book types described this guide. CALI is an online learning platform that uses more interactive lessons than traditional books. You may also find many secondary sources online through Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law although they are not linked here.
Casebooks and Class Books: Casebooks are the textbooks used most frequently in law classes. They consist of short explanations combined with excerpts from cases. The standard law school class will have you read cases, analyze them, and answer questions about them as the primary mode of instruction. Class books are ones that may be required or recommended by your professor, please see your First Assignment list or syllabus to see which books are listed.
Class and Exam Prep: These books are grouped together because their focus is more on classroom and exam success than on explanation and understanding of the law. The most common of these books will involve sample law exam questions and outlines of materials frequently covered in law school classes.
Treatises, Hornbooks, and Short Explanations: These books are grouped together because they are focused on explaining or understanding the law rather than specifically on classroom or exam success. However, understanding the law can help greatly with success in a class. Loosely, treatises are larger than hornbooks, and hornbooks are larger than short explanations. The larger the book (which sometimes can even come in multiple volumes) the more in-depth treatment you are likely to receive. Treatises are detailed books, often with multiple volumes, that describe and explain a particular area of law. They can be particularly useful for learning the nuances of the law with citations to primary sources. Hornbooks are smaller versions of treatises. Short Explanations are great if you are just looking for rules of law with brief explanations attached. Some examples of short explanations include Nutshells and Short & Happy Guides.
Restatements and the UCC: These are sources that are secondary sources (not law), but are frequently quoted by and relied on by judges and legislatures. Restatements are written by a group of leading legal experts in a field and state what the laws are across the jurisdictions as way to synthesize and compile the common law in the United States. Restatements are sometimes incorporated by judges in opinions and the language from the restatements may become law that way. The UCC stands for the Uniform Commercial Code and is a model code about commercial transactions that has been adopted in some form by state legislatures across the country.
Concepts and Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts, 7th by
From publisher -- Recommended in more than 100 schools, the updated seventh edition of Concepts and Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts is a readable primer that offers first-year law students a reliable overview of the major themes and leading cases in the field of the law of contracts. This contracts primer is straightforward and uncluttered, covering the main themes of the first-year contracts course, together with related cases.
Contract Law and Theory by
From publisher -- Contract Law and Theory, Second Edition conveys a grasp of theory and policy that makes all of the contract rules easier to understand. By explaining and applying contract theory to a wide range of contracts cases, Eric Posner reveals not only the “what” of doctrine but
also the “why”—why one rule rather than another makes sense from a policy perspective. An understanding of what contract theory is and how it is applied will help you to understand not only Contracts, as taught in law school, but also the many areas of law in which contractual ideas operate, such as bankruptcy law, secured transactions, and corporate law.
Contracts by
From publisher -- The author provides a detailed treatment of the basic rules, principles, and issues in contracts. Topics covered include offer and acceptance, parol evidence and interpretation, consideration, promissory estoppel, contracts under seal, capacity of parties, conditions, performance, and breach. The author also discusses damages, avoidance and reformation, third-party beneficiaries, assignments, and the statute of frauds. The discharge of contracts and illegal bargains are also the subject of separate chapters.
Contracts in a Nutshell by
From publisher -- This Nutshell provides a comprehensive guide to the law of contracts. It contains expert explanations of contract concepts under both the common law and Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. It also includes the basics of the Law of Restitution and an introduction to digital contracting.
Farnsworth on Contracts by
From publisher: Busy practitioners count on Farnsworth's proven ability to identify the essentials and omit extraneous material. His comprehensive coverage of the full range of contract law answers questions in hundreds of important areas, including:
Good faith and fair dealing
Precontractual liability
Agreements to negotiate
Vienna Convention on International Sales Contracts
UNIDROIT principles
Constitutional issues
Settlement of disputed claims by check
Options and rights of first refusal
Employee handbooks
Covenants not to compete
Self-help measures
Farnsworth illustrates how contemporary contract law has been shaped by both the Restatement (Second) of Contracts -- for which he served as Reporter -- and the Uniform Commercial Code. Easy access to specifics, new cases, new drafting tips, new references, and timesaving features like cross-referenced cases and marginal headings make this three-volume set a valuable resource for contracts research and practice, including litigation and arbitration. Farnsworth on Contracts, Fourth Edition is the most authoritative contracts treatise available.
Handbook on Tribal Contracting by
From publisher -- Handbook of Indian Tribal Contracting provides a general background that every practitioner should be aware of when either engaging in business transactions with tribes or providing representation to tribes when they contract with outside entities.
This concise guide covers various areas of federal Indian law that have a significant impact on these relationships, and chapters written to give a practitioner an understanding of basic principles of tribal economies, contract drafting, and federal contract law. Also included are several sample contracts designed for tribes, including a professional services contract, a general consulting contract, and a master agreement.
Mastering Contract Law by 
Murray on Contracts by
From publisher -- The critical analyses presented in the latest edition of Murray on Contracts provide students with the insights necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of the law of contracts. This text also considers and critically analyzes statutory modifications of neoclassical contract doctrine beyond the UCC.
Many of the sections contain captioned subdivisions so that the reader is more easily directed to topical discussions within the sections. The author includes citation tables to Restatement and UCC sections as well as a table of cases, along with an expansive index. In addition, the appendix includes the text of the United Nations convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), and the final chapter provides an introduction to the CISG and compares its key provisions with the UCC and other principles of American contract law.
Principles of Contract Law by
From publisher -- This overview of contract law explains concepts clearly and concisely, in an informal, often humorous style that has made it popular with students over the years. For ease of reading and understanding, the book refrains from including complex textual footnotes. Instead, the footnotes cite cases, with most including short quotations to substantiate assertions made in the text. The book also contains numerous examples and illustrations. Cross references enable readers to review concepts that constitute building blocks for the current material.
A Short and Happy Guide to Contracts by
From publisher -- This efficient and exceedingly effective guide to Contracts will help you see the big picture. The authors focus on making the key concepts of contract law, and the relationship among those concepts, easier to understand and retain. The authors have also infused the book with humor, believing there is nothing inconsistent between a rigorous academic experience and having a little fun. Each of the authors is nationally-renowned law teacher who has taught Contracts for decades. Based on that experience, in this book they have set forth understandable techniques for mastering the law governing each critical aspect of the contract relationship, including, contract formation (offer and acceptance), enforcement (consideration and defenses), interpretation, performance, breach, and remedies.
Understanding Contracts by
From publisher -- This Understanding treatise is designed for first-year law students enrolled in Contracts. The text explains common law principles of contract law using cases and examples that students commonly encounter in this first-year course. It also explains and illustrates Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code, which deals with sales of goods that are frequently covered in Contracts. This edition includes material on the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods, and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, appropriate to a basic course in Contracts, and on modern statutes regarding electronic contracting. The fourth edition contains a revised chapter on the difficult concept of Promissory Estoppel and includes discussions of recent decisions dealing with consumer arbitration clauses. Citations to journal articles have also been updated to reflect recent scholarship on these and other topics.
Uniform Commercial Code by
From publisher -- This fully revised 7th Edition will give students a comprehensive introduction to the Uniform Commercial Code without burdening them with unnecessary detail: Articles 1 and 2 (sales), Articles 3, 4, 4A and 5 (payment systems), and Article 9 (secured transactions), as well as related statutes, amendments, regulations, and operating rules. The new edition deals not only with the 1999 revisions to Article 9 but also with the recent revisions to Article 1. This edition also addresses the earlier revisions to Articles 5, 3, and 4. It has limited coverage of the failed attempt to revise Article 2. A reference volume relied on by students, courts, and business lawyers for decades, the 7th Edition has been updated in light of modern practice and provides a useful resource for students and practitioners dealing with issues in sales, contracts, secured transactions, and payment systems.
Cases, Problems, and Materials on Contracts by
From publisher -- Cases, Problems, and Materials on Contracts is known for pioneering the problem method of law school teaching. A staple in classrooms for decades, it stands out from other texts in the scope of its coverage and its use of short, carefully-constructed Problems to expose students to new concepts, reinforce what they have just learned, and stimulate thought. The Eighth Edition, the first since the passing of Thomas Crandall and the addition of David Horton as co-author, is more accessible than ever. It introduces complicated issues with a clear narrative summary or explicit statement of black-letter law. The cases have been tightly edited for best effect. Professors and students will benefit from the coverage of the basics of Contracts Law in a format that allows greater exposure to the legal concepts through the many Problems that fill each chapter alongside the most illustrative cases on point. The inclusion of assessment multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter that are meatier than such questions in most books, focusing not on the "right answer" so much as on what real attorneys must consider when confronted with the issues presented.
Comprehensive Commercial Law by
From publisher -- The Supplement includes the entire Uniform Commercial Code as of May 2021, excluding Article 6, and also includes a selection of other federal statutes and regulations, uniform state laws, and Restatement provisions, aiming to include those items most commonly used in commercial law courses. This leads, among other things, to the inclusion of the Truth in Lending Act, Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Federal Tax Lien Act, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, excerpts from the CISG, and from the ICC’s uniform rules for letters of credit.
Concepts and Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts, 7th by
From publisher -- Recommended in more than 100 schools, the updated seventh edition of Concepts and Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts is a readable primer that offers first-year law students a reliable overview of the major themes and leading cases in the field of the law of contracts. This contracts primer is straightforward and uncluttered, covering the main themes of the first-year contracts course, together with related cases.
Contract Law and Theory by
From publisher -- Contract Law and Theory, the leading theoretical casebook on contracts, is based on clear, discernible themes and patterns that underlie much of contract law, and as it develops them explicitly, the student is invited to develop a working model of contract law. This framework for analyzing and predicting the outcome of contract disputes is then tested through careful case and doctrinal analysis. Contract Law and Theory begins with an overview chapter. Many of the following chapters contain introductory essays presenting some of the basic doctrines and theoretical approaches covered in the chapter. The Fifth Edition has added new cases reflecting contemporary developments, particularly in the areas of precontractual liability, preliminary agreements, and collaborative contracts. The authors have also carefully rewritten and edited the text and essays and have shifted a number of principal cases to notes—to both condense the book for easier coverage in four-hour courses and to enhance the book's accessibility to students.
Contract Law and Theory Document Supplement by
This new companion Document Supplement (which can be used with any contracts book) contains Articles 1 and 2 of the UCC, selected provisions (including the Official Comments) of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and selected provisions of the CISG.
Contracts: Cases and Theory of Contractual Obligation, 3d ed. by
From publisher -- This book contains well selected cases along with substantial scholarly textual material introducing each topic or case. The student is given insights into both historical development and applicable theory. The approach is “show the ball” so as to enable the student to get more deeply into the challenging material. Each case is followed by extensive notes and questions designed to extend student thinking and reasoning.
Uniform Commercial Code Official Text and Comments by
Also available on Bloomberg Law, Lexis, and Westlaw. From publisher -- Uniform Commercial Code contains the complete official Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) – all of the 13 Articles' text with official comments. This volume is intended for use as a quick reference. Information is arranged in one softbound volume and is arranged by Article for fast and easy access. Features include:
Appendixes that include Permanent Editorial Board commentaries, past amendments, and pre-revision articles
A foreword by the chair of the permanent editorial board of the UCC
Commentaries and reports of the permanent editorial board
Contracts by
From publisher -- These outlines are designed to help law students recognize and understand the basic principles and issues of law covered in a law school course. They can be used both as a study aid when preparing for classes and as a review of the subject matter when studying for an examination. Each outline is written by experienced law school professors who are recognized national authorities in their subject areas.
Contracts by
From publisher -- The most trusted name in law school outlines, Emanuel Law Outlines support your class preparation, provide reference for your outline creation, and supply a comprehensive breakdown of topic matter for your entire study process. Created by Steven Emanuel, these course outlines have been relied on by generations of law students. Each title includes both capsule and detailed versions of the critical issues and key topics you must know to master the course. Also included are exam questions with model answers, an alpha-list of cases, and a cross reference table of cases for all of the leading casebooks.
Contracts by
From publisher -- When it’s exam time you need the right information in the right format to study efficiently and effectively. Emanuel® CrunchTime is the perfect tool for exam studying. With flowcharts and capsule summaries of major points of law and critical issues, as well as exam tips for identifying common traps and pitfalls, sample exam and essay questions with model answers – you will be prepared for your next big test.
Here's why you will need Emanuel® CrunchTime to help you ace your exams:
Perfect for the visual learner: The flow charts walk you through a series of yes/no questions that can be used to analyze any question on the exam.
Featured capsule summaries help you quickly review key concepts not just before the exam, but throughout the semester
Exams Tips recap the most commonly tested issues and fact patterns.
Contracts: Essay by
From publisher -- This Exam Pro consists of essay questions actually given by Contracts professors throughout the United States. Every question contains a detailed explanation, along with analytical steps explained in easy-to-understand, basic language, and a step-by-step guide on how to analyze each major issue. Both Professor “model” answers and student “actual” answers are provided to allow students to get a feel for all the issues that could have been discussed on some questions, and what is realistic for a student to actually answer under timed conditions. The Preface includes tips on how to take essay exams. A general “List of Issues” covered on each question is provided, so the student can decide whether or not to use a particular question given the course coverage in the student’s Contracts class. Similarly, an “Index of Issues” is provided so the student can easily find all the questions that deal with a particular substantive issue which allows for repetitive testing on a troublesome issue. Each answer includes cross-references to the applicable sections of the Restatement (Second) Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code, and citations to the more important cases in Contracts law, allowing the student to easily match the subject matter of the question to his or her outline and class discussion. Cross-references are included in every answer to relevant portions of Sum & Substance: Quick Review of Contracts, allowing for easy reference if more substantive knowledge is either needed or desired.
Contracts: Examples & Explanations by
Examples and Explanations for Contract Law, Eighth Edition by Brian Blum provides new updates and additional cases for contract law in the student-loved Examples and Explanations format. The Examples and Explanations Series provides hypothetical questions complemented by detailed explanations that allow modern contract law students to test their knowledge of the topics and compare their own analysis to the provided explanation.
Exam Pro on Contracts, Objective by
From publisher -- Brain's Exam Pro on Contracts, Objective Questions includes over 330 objective questions covering every substantive area of Contract Law. Each answer choice explains why each answer is either correct or incorrect. Elements and rules are explained in easy-to-understand language, with a step-by-step guide on how to analyze question-types. Liberal citation to applicable sections of the Restatement (Second) Contracts, the Uniform Commercial Code, and important contract law cases, allows the students to match a question to his or her outline and class discussion. Exam preparation tips include how to prepare for graded exams, how professors construct multiple choice questions, and how to avoid common “distracters.”
Gilbert Law Summaries on Contracts by
From publisher -- This Contracts outline discusses consideration (including promissory estoppel and past consideration), offer and acceptance, interpretation, defenses (including mistake, fraud, duress, unconscionability, the Statute of Frauds, and illegality), third-party beneficiaries, assignment of rights, and delegation of duties. It also covers conditions, substantial performance, material vs. minor breach, anticipatory breach, impossibility, discharge, and remedies (including expectation damages, specific performance, and liquidated damages).
Glannon Guide to Contracts by
From publisher -- Law school classroom lectures can leave you with a lot of questions.
Glannon Guides can help you better understand your classroom lecture with straightforward explanations of tough concepts with hypos that help you understand their application.
The Glannon Guide is your proven partner throughout the semester when you need a supplement to (or substitute for) classroom lecture. Here’s why you need to use Glannon Guides to help you better understand what is being taught in the classroom:
It mirrors the classroom experience by teaching through explanation, interspersed with hypotheticals to illustrate application.
Both correct and incorrect answers are explained; you learn why a solution does or does not work.
Glannon Guides provide straightforward explanations of complex legal concepts, often in a humorous style that makes material stick.
Questions & Answers: Contracts by
From publisher -- Understand better what you're learning in a contracts class by applying concepts as you learn them. Prepare more effectively for exams and the bar exam. This study guide includes 189 multiple-choice and short-answer questions arranged topically for ease of use during the semester, plus an additional set of 42 questions comprising a comprehensive "practice exam."
For each multiple-choice question, Professor Burnham provides a detailed answer that indicates which of four options is the best answer and explains thoroughly why that option is better than the other three options. Each short-answer question is designed to be answered in fifteen minutes or less. For these questions, Professor Burnham provides a thoughtful, comprehensive, yet brief model answer.
Quick Review of Contracts by
From publisher -- Quick Review of Contracts is a short, clear, concise, and substantive outline. It is designed to make the study of law clear and convenient, and it is designed to help students prepare for their law school exams. The main body is an outline of the substantive content that a student needs to prepare for a law school exam. The concise format provides a "Big Picture" overview allowing students to review the subject quickly prior to final exams. This edition is cross-referenced with the author’s new Sum and Substance Audio on Contracts.
