The Unwritten Law

Originally published posthumously in 1954, this book presents a study of the unwritten law of the Albanian mountain tribes by the renowned Scottish anthropologist, classical scholar and ethnographer Margaret Hasluck (1885-1948). In recording the legal aspects of tribal life, Hasluck also provides detailed information on the everyday existence of the tribes. Four chapters are given to the vendetta system, describing minutely the obligations of vengeance, the manner of conducting a feud, the degrees of expiation and the ways of ending. Other chapters give information about the daily life of the household; the laws governing the division of property; the administrative hierarchy; oaths, verdicts and penalties; theft and murder. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the writings of Hasluck, anthropology and the Albanian mountain tribes.

Reveals the unwritten and hitherto inaccessible principles that govern the restructuring of large corporations in Chapter 11.

Unwritten Laws is a wonderfully entertaining treasury ofmore than 500 rules, axioms and insights, each associatedwith a particular individual. None of the laws appears onthe Statute Book, yet they shape human affairs moreprofoundly than any Act of Parliament or by-law. AsCatt's Law states: No written law has ever been morebinding than ......

This book seeks to re-appreciate the concept of customary international law as a form of spontaneous societal self-organisation, and to develop the methodological consequences that ensue from this conception for the practice of its application. In pursuing this aim, the author draws from three different strands of scholarship that have not yet been considered in connection with one another: First, general jurisprudential theories of customary law; second, theories of customary international law, especially as they relate to international relations scholarship; and third, methodological approaches to the interpretation of international law. This expansive, philosophical layout of the book enables the author to put the conceptual enigmas of customary international law into a broader perspective. Among the issues discussed in the book are the dichotomy of its traditional and modern forms and the respective benefits and disadvantages of inductive and deductive approaches to its ascertainment. In the course of this analysis, the author draws insights from Friedrich August Hayek’s theory of law as a ‘spontaneous order’, an information-processing device which enables the participants of a legal system to make use of decentralised knowledge. The book argues that the major advantage of custom as a source of international law lies in the fact that it is the result of a gradual process of trial and error, rather than the product of deliberate planning. This makes it a particularly apposite source of law in a time of seismic shifts in the distribution of power within a vastly diverse community of States, when a new global order is expected to emerge, the contours of which are not yet clearly discernible. This book applies general concepts of legal philosophy to explain the continuing relevance of custom as a source of international law while at the same time inferring from this theoretical framework concrete practical and methodological consequences, the most important of which is the special role that purposive interpretation plays with respect to rules of international custom. Given this broad approach, the book will be of interest to several groups of potential readers including academics interested in the philosophy of customary law in general, academic international lawyers and legal practitioners, especially judges, scholars of international relations and all those interested in how the international community of States organises itself.

While most financial and investment advice focuses on recent trends, or encourages consumers to buy a favoured product, this book breaks the mould, offering eternal wisdom that draws on years of expensive failures and enviable successes. Following on from the success of James Skakoon's The Unwritten Laws of Business (27,000 copies sold to date), this approachable but thoughtful gem brings together these useful lessons for the first time. Covering everything from reminders of the simplest of truths - 'Patience is a virtue' and 'Better safe than sorry' - to the more troublesome - 'Inflation is the stealthiest of enemies' and 'Guarantees are rarely guaranteed' - each law is presented in an accessible, easily digestible manner, and illustrated with examples. This is essential reading for savers and investors, novices and old hands - and these laws are applicable all around the world.

If it's not broke, don't fix it. Eighty percent of success is in showing up. Don't look back; something might be gaining on you. No legislature ever enacted these laws, yet they continue to shape human affairs. Hugh Rawson documents more than 500 rules, strategies, and ironic insights into the way the world really works.