This is a terrific book for people who want to get a basic understanding of how the legal system operates. In simple language, Professor D'Amato explains & applies some of the deepest ideas of law to everyday legal problems & issues. By showing how lawyers & judges think about legal issues in our society, D'Amato dissolves a lot of the mystique surrounding the legal system. This is also a fine book for courses in judicial & legal process. My students tell me that this is one of the most readable books they have ever been assigned in college. Alan Sager, University of Texas at Austin In Anthony D'Amato's writing, two passions merge: law & language. His eloquence -& hence the sheer readability of his writing -is virtually a byword among teachers & students alike. This "introduction to law" is far from basic in its coverage, yet it never becomes mired in tedious detail or lost in impenetrable fog. It is perhaps the only reader-friendly book available today that truly clarifies the deep & basic concepts of law in general, & American law in particular. It does not simply introduce the concepts; rather, it is an introduction to thinking about the concepts.