Cretney's Principles of Family Law (8th edition)

This 2008 edition contains five years of updating since the last edition in 2003, covering a period when a great deal of family legislation reached the statute books.

The book is aimed at practitioners, teachers and students. There is no doubt that all those groups will have come to terms with the last five years of legislation, such as the Civil Partnership Act, the Adoption and Children Act 2002, and the Children and Adoption Act 2006, as each has been passed and come into force.

What then could be the merit of a textbook on these topics? There is certainly an argument that there is no merit. The pace of change is such that the textbook is too slow a medium. If a book is to be used at all, then it needs to have a loose leaf component so that readers can be updated regularly. Many people update themselves through the various excellent journals on the market, a number of which are available, in some cases exclusively, online. Perhaps the pace of change and the need for the speedy provision of information has rendered a textbook such as this both expensive and pointless. A book is also (literally) weighty; one is increasingly used to all information being on or accessible through a laptop, so that the laptop is the only thing to carry around. Perhaps the era of the textbook is over.

Or, perhaps not. An equally strong argument can be made for the value of a serious erudite work which takes the time to look at not only where the law is, but how it got there. This current edition is written by three luminaries of family law practice '“ Judith Masson, Rebecca Bailey-Harris and Rebecca Probert. They build on the considered, reflective and historical approach which makes this work continue to be worthwhile. Sections include a historical survey of why the law on (for example) divorce and dissolution of marriage is where it is today; and then a detailed, fairly academic look at the current law. There are also chapters on the formation of family relationships, family property, child support and child and adoption law. Because the book does not deal with practice and procedure there is ample room for quite full discussion within its 900 pages, while at the same time keeping the book in one volume and of manageable size.

This textbook should be essential reading for both student and teacher; understanding of a topic can only be increased by knowing its background. It is also a book for the reflective practitioner, who may find the time to read some chapters if not all.