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Jurisprudence: Home

Purpose of this guide

This guide is intended for students and researchers studying jurisprudence (legal philosophy and legal theory) at the University of Oxford, although students and researchers from any field may find it useful.

Use this guide to find out about texts and commentary for jurisprudence, including ebooks, ejournals, and databases.

Legal Philosophy and Legal Theory : quick start

Jurisprudence or legal philosophy closely allied to aspects of social, moral and political  philosphy and theology. among other disciplines.
Standard SOLO searches will find e-books in this topic. Remote access will generally require an Oxford SSO.

Among the titles you will find are:

A sample of free and OA resources on the world wide web

Looking for a Reading List title?

When you search SOLO for texts you may find  that the shelf mark begins KA and the location is shown as "Law Library Reserve Collection."  If you would like to read one (or more) of these books, please come and ask for them at the Enquiry Desk on Level 2.

Please remember to bring your University or Bodleian Reader's card with you, as these heavily used titles are issued to you for use in the Library. You can keep reading them for the rest of day if you like - but we do ask that you return them to the Enquiry Desk as soon as possible after you have finished consulting them. 

Current examples of Law Reserve books which are also general introductions to this subject are:

Print resources for jurisprudence in the Law Bod

The principal collection of legal philosophy/jurisprudence books are also shelved on  Level 2, the level at which you enter the Law Library.  An area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning Jurisp.  Within this section the books are arranged by the last name of author or editor.

As the Law Library moves to the Moys Classification Scheme, you may find legal philosophy books with shelf marks beginning KA .
KA books not held in the Law Reserve collection are on Level 2 - but a few shelves away from those with shelf marks beginning Jurisp.

Philosophy/Theology

The Lower Reading Rooms Open Shelves of the "old Bod" continue to have Philosophy and Theology & Patristics collections.
This Library is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Law Bod towards the centre of town.

Bodleian Philosophy and Theology Faculties Library  is a 20 to 30 minute walk from the Law Bod, in the
Radcliffe Humanities Building
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Woodstock Road
Oxford, OX2 6GG
This building may still be better known as the (old) Radcliffe Infirmary!

Clearly some research interests in political philosophy or the philosophy of international relations may also be supported by the collections held in the Bodleian Social Science Library

Related Bodleian guides

Key libraries