This book serves two purposes: first, it provides a history of some of the main institutions of the South African law of contract, delict, and property and demonstrates how civil law and common law came to be accommodated within one legal system. In doing so, it offers stimulating lessons for the process of harmonization of private law within the European Union.

Second, for South African lawyers, the book's main value will be that it provides a reflective look by prominent scholars at the history of South African private law. As an exercise in doctrinal history, it is based on the authors' conviction that knowledge of the past is of crucial importance both for the proper understanding of the present state of the law and for its future development.