The Library

The University Library is open 24/7 and provides a range of study spaces and information resources. The printed law collection is available on the 4th floor of the library, and many law books and journals are also available online. The library’s Subject Guide for Law provide guides to law books, journals, databases and training materials, including Doing Legal Research, Introduction to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism online training modules. At the start of your course, the Academic Support Librarian for Law will introduce you to the library and law databases, and they are also available to help you with any library, legal research or referencing questions during your studies.

Before you start your studies please take the opportunity to visit the Library, which is very near to the Warwick Law School, and familiarise yourself with the Library website. More information for new students is available on our Get Started webppages. Our Help Desk staff will also be happy to advise you any time between 08.30am-09.30pm, and you can contact the Library at any time by email: Library@warwick.ac.uk.

We hope you will enjoy your introduction to the University of Warwick!

Second Hand Book Sale

Each year the Warwick Law Society hold an annual Second Hand Book Sale. At this fair you're able to pick up copies of textbooks you'll need at a much cheaper price to buying new and some of the money raised gets donated to charity. Check back for the next book sale date.

Summer Reading

There is no need to conduct extensive reading before beginning your course, but you may wish to look at the following examples of texts, podcasts, films (and even TV series) that are relevant to your studies:

Nicholas McBride, Letters to a Law Student, Pearson 2013 - A general introduction to studying law.

As a Warwick student you will be expected to understand the law in context and to undertake critical analysis. If you haven't come across the Secret Barrister, I would recommend reading his books. They are very accessible and well written critiques of our legal system. There are two: Stories of the Law and How it is Broken, and Fake Law.

Law in Action Podcast - Joshua Rozenberg presents Radio 4's long-running legal magazine programme, featuring reports and discussion on matters relating to law

Although Learning the Law, by Glanville Williams was first published in 1945, the updated edition (Sweet & Maxwell 2020) is still popular with law students wanting a better idea of how to approach studying law.

Illan Wall, The Critical Legal Pocketbook, Counterpress 2021 - The Critical Legal Pocketbook provides the tools for law students to uncover the hidden intricacies of law.

Nick Hayes, The Book of Trespass, Bloomsbury 2021 - A really good example of how critical thinking can completely change the way you view the world.

Raymond Wacks, Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction, OUP 2014 - This is closely linked to the second term half module Legal Theory, which is a discursive subject covering the philosophical underpinnings of the law.

Seeing White - Scene on Radio - A-14 part documentary series exploring whiteness in America - where it came from, what it means, and how it works.

Michael Sandel, Justice: What is the Right Thing to Do?, Penguin 2010 - This is also closely linked to the theory elements of your first year core module, Understanding Law in Context. It's also a useful background for any area of law you will be studying at Warwick.

The Reith Lectures - The BBC's annual series of lectures from a major academic figure. For 2019, former UK judge Jonathan Sumption on how to restore faith in democracy.

Allan Hutchinson, Is Eating People Wrong? Great Legal Cases and How they Shaped the World, CUP 2011 - Another good introduction to English Law which introduces you to some of the most notable and occasionally gruesome common law cases.

Foucault’s Discipline and Punish (the first chapter at least), Penguin 1991 - recommended by your Criminal Law lecturers

There are plenty of films that help you get a feel for some quite complex issues, such as The Big Short for sub-prime mortgages, and, The Laundromat for black hole trusts. For more entertainment (but still something valuable) have a look at TV shows such as Suits, Defending the Guilty and Silk.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Common Law, Dover Publications 1991 - A rather old text that traces the development of key institutions of the common law and shows interesting interactions and links between them. A dense read for the really committed.

What books should I buy?

The Library stocks all books on your module reading lists. Library books are available to borrow, including ebooks and/or short loans for key titles. You will be told what to read early in your module, and you are advised not to purchase any books until you have received advice from your module teacher.

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