Austin: The Province of Jurisprudence Determined by John Austin

Austin: The Province of Jurisprudence Determined by John Austin

The Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832) is a classic of nineteenth-century English jurisprudence, a subject on which Austin had a profound impact. His book is primarily concerned with a meticulous explanation of most of the core concepts of his legal philosophy, including his conception of law, his separation of law and morality, and his theory of sovereignty. Almost a quarter of it consists of an interpretation and defence of the principle of utility. This edition includes the complete and unabridged text of the fifth (1885) and last edition. The comprehensive introduction discusses Austin's life, the main themes of his book, leading criticisms of his ideas, and interpretations of his legal philosophy. The edition also includes a bibliography and biographical synopses of the principal figures mentioned in the text.

JOHN AUSTIN was born in Creeting Mill, Suffolk, England, on March 3, 1790. Austin began studying law after serving in the army for five years, and he practiced at the chancery bar from 1818 until 1825. In 1820, he married Sarah Taylor (1793-1867), a German and French historian who translated and edited works such as Leopold von Ranke's History of the Popes (1840) and History of the Reformation in Germany (1845), as well as François Guizot's English Revolution (1850). Austin and his wife were both staunch utilitarians, close friends of social theorists Jeremy Bentham, James Mill, and his son John Stuart Mill, and passionate advocates for legal reform. Austin was the first professor of jurisprudence at University College, London, when it was formed in 1826.

He studied Roman law and the work of German experts on current civil law for the next two years in Germany. Many famous figures attended Austin's initial lectures in 1828, but he struggled to attract pupils and eventually quit his chair in 1832. He gave up teaching law in 1834 after delivering a shorter but equally unsuccessful version of his lectures. In 1833, he was assigned to the Criminal Law Commission, but after receiving little support for his views, he resigned in dissatisfaction after signing the commission's first two reports.

In 1836, he was appointed as a commissioner for Malta's affairs. The Austins thereafter lived in France, primarily in Paris, until 1848, when they returned to England and settled in Surrey, where John Austin died in December 1859. The Province of Jurisprudence Decided, published in 1832, is Austin's best-known publication, a rendition of portion of his lectures. It revolutionized English thinking on the subject by defining the area of ethics and law, and it was appreciated by American jurists such as J.C.

Oliver Wendell Holmes and Gray

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780521447560
ISBN 10	0521447569
Title	Austin: The Province of Jurisprudence Determined
Author	John Austin
Series	Cambridge Texts In The History Of Political Thought
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	1995-03-09
Number of pages	344
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.