LibGuides: Law: Books

What kind of books will I find in the Library?

Reference materials such as encyclopedias and specialist dictionaries can give you a starting point for your research and help you to define your search terms.
Textbooks can provide a broad overview of an unfamiliar topic and point you to further reading.
Academic monographs will provide more indepth information on a topic.

Specialist e-book collections for Law

Most of our ebooks can be discovered on our main catalogue, Library Search.

However, our Westlaw ebooks and some of the commentaries on Lexis Library cannot currently be accessed via Library Search - please go directly to these platforms using the link below.

If you would like to browse by a particular publisher, there are some recommended links for law collections that we have purchased or currently subscribe to.

Lexis Library Legal Commentaries
Collection of legal commentaries including The Family Court Practice (The Red Book), Goode and McKendrick On Commercial Law, Supperstone, Goudie and Walker on Judicial Review, Tolley's Company Law Handbook and much more.
Halsbury's Laws of England
Halsbury's Laws of England is available online via the Lexis Library database and covers the whole spectrum of English law. It is designed to enable practitioners to answer the full range of questions likely to arise in the course of their work. It provides a comprehensive narrative statement of the law of England and Wales and is written by or in conjunction with leading lawyers, both practitioners and academics.

Westlaw Books This link opens in a new window
Access to 300 books and 19 textbooks on Westlaw UK.

Westlaw Books User Guide [videos]
Elgar Online law e-books This link opens in a new window
Full-text law e-books published from 2018 to 2022
Oxford Scholarship Online: Law This link opens in a new window
Access to the full text of over 400 law books published by Oxford University Press. Topics covered include company & commercial law, competition law, constitutional and administrative law, criminal law & criminology, employment law, human rights law, public international law and more.
Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law This link opens in a new window
Home of the most trusted reference work in international law, the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, as well as the recently launched Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law. A comprehensive online resource containing peer-reviewed articles on every aspect of public international law.

Cambridge University Press Law ebooks
These books are all searchable on Library Search but you can also browse a list of available titles from CUP on the Cambridge Core website.
Encyclopedia of Private international Law
With a world-class editor team, 500 content items and authorship from almost 200 of the world’s foremost scholars, the Encyclopedia of Private International Law is the definitive reference work in the field. 57 different countries are represented by authors who shed light on the current state of Private International Law around the globe, providing unique insights into the discipline and how it is affected by globalization and increased regional integration.

Other E-book Platforms

Ebook Central
To browse the collection of law books, click on the "browse subjects" link under the search box and then click on "law".
VLE books
To browse books in the law category, filter on the left hand side to "social sciences" then "law".

How to find books via Library Search

Useful shelf numbers for Law

This table shows a small selection of topics, use Library Search for a comprehensive search for books on a particular subject.
Topic	Shelf Number	Library Floor
Law (general)	340	3rd Floor
Private international law (conflict of laws)	340.9	3rd Floor
Public international law	341	3rd Floor
Human rights law	341.48	3rd Floor
Humanitarian intervention	341.584	3rd Floor
Comparative law	342	3rd Floor
European Union Law	343.24	3rd Floor
English law	344.1	3rd Floor
Criminal law	344.105	3rd Floor
Family law	344.10615	3rd Floor
Land law	344.10643	3rd Floor
Intellectual property law	344.10648	3rd Floor
Commercial law	344.1067	3rd Floor
Equity and trusts	344.10659	3rd Floor
French law	344.4	3rd Floor

How do I find a book on the shelf?

Understand how to find a book on the shelf with this helpful guide or watch the quick video below.

Library Guides

Law: Books

Law Library Basics: Books