This ambitious reference offers a broad understanding of American legal issues. Hall, president of Utah State University and a professor of history there, has edited or coedited 12 books, including two other "Oxford Companion" volumes. Many types of scholars, including historians, political scientists, and lawyers, have contributed the 486 alphabetically arranged entries. The entries consider how law, legal institutions, and court decisions are related to social demands and legal responses. The formal institutions in which the law operates receive significant attention, as do key legal issues, for example, civil rights and civil liberties. Entries such as "Technology and the Law," "Law and Literature," and "United States Obligations to the U.N." consider connective linkages concerning legal, social, and political systems. The volume also includes standard legal terms and key legal concepts, such as verdicts and venues, as well as biographical statements about leading individuals in the legal profession such as Judge Arthur T. Vanderbilt. A novel element in this work is its inclusion of broad essays on the history of law in the United States, which demonstrate how legal culture has changed across social eras. Other useful features are extensive cross referencing and the longer essays on key issues, such as abortion and reproductive decisions, criminal law principles, and consumer law. With a substantial breadth of information and analysis, this volume is accessible to every reader.