Private Law Theory

INTRODUCTION
Nobody reads Pollock anymore. Nor should they. The first, and most obvious, reason is that he is outdated. Most of Pollock’s work, in particular his textbooks on contract, torts and the law of partnership, is descriptive. He is a collator, gathering together the decisions and statutes. The facts have now changed. The facts of the posited law are not the same as they were in 1929 when Pollock produced his last and thirteenth edition of his torts textbook, let alone compared with 1887 when he published the first. The main use of his texts, finding out what are the relevant authorities on, say, the tort of deceit, is now fulfilled by more modern texts. …

Stevens, Robert, Professor Sir Frederick Pollock: Jurist as Mayfly (January 1, 2019).