Skip to Main Content

Obligations law: Home

Subjects: Law

Purpose of this guide

This guide is intended for students and researchers studying the law of obligations at the University of Oxford, although students and researchers from any field may find it useful.

Use this guide to find out about sources and commentary for contract, torts, and restitution, including ebooks, ejournals, and databases.

Law of obligations: quick start

This guide is designed to help with study of the modern laws of contract, torts and restitution,  principal (but not exclusive) sources of civil liability in England. If you are interested in the history and developement of these areas of law within the common law tradition you may find a section of our guide to Legal History helpful.

Holders of an Oxford SSO can access English legislation and case law, and important commentary (in form of books and journal articles) online. Principal examples are below. Please visit other tabs/pages in this guide for further guidance.

Sources available to all with access to the internet

For the primary sources of English law we recommend:

Print resources

The Law Bod's print collection is spread across four (4) floors. Readers have access to all via either stairs or the lift. The Enquiry Desk is on Level 2, just inside the Law Library's gates, please feel free to ask for directions from staff there.

In brief

Are you looking for a Reading List title?

If yes does the SOLO search result indicate that it is the location called the Law Reserve? If SOLO says the book is in the Law Reserve, please come to the Law Library's Enquiry Desk on Level 2 with your University or Bodleian Reader's Card and ask for it there.  It will be wanded out to you but must still be read in the Law Library. Please return the book to the Enquiry Desk when you have finished with it.
Note.  The books in the Reserve Collection are available to all categories of readers (not just those on the particular course).

Open shelf layout

Level 2 (the entrance level to the library)
Has works on the laws of all parts of the British Isles, Australia, Canada, Ireland, NZ and USA. Also comparative works, the Roman law collection and the Anglo-American legal history collection.
Level 3 (one floor above the entrance level)
Has books on the laws of the jurisdictions of Europe and the European Union, public international law, and conflict of laws.
Level 1 (one floor below the entrance level)
Has books on the laws of the remaining jurisdictions.

Other pages in this guide provide more detailed help with finding Books on Contract law, Books on Restitution, Books on Torts, and on Remedies and Damages.

Related Bodleian guides

Key library