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Roman law: Books

Finding ebooks and books in the Bodleian

Use the tabs above to understand how the Law Bod's collection is arranged. There is an Enquiry Desk on Level 2, just as you enter the main Reading Room: please do come and have a word if you are having any difficulty in using the library..

Help with finding books

The Law Library's collection is fully catalogued on SOLO, Oxford  University's online resource discovery tool.

Some suggestions for subject searching 

Roman law

For a specific legal topics, try adding (Roman law) eg Contracts (Roman Law)

Roman law - Sources
Gaius. Institutiones
Justinian I, Emperor of the East, 483?-565 CE
Institutiones
Twelve Tables

Roman law -- History
Justice, Administration of (Roman law)

Rome -- Social conditions
Rome -- Economic conditions

For those wishing to learn more about using searches, we recommend the following:

Examples on Law and Society ebooks. Note: the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library may have more books in this category, so pay attention to the Location detail on the SOLO search results

Looking for a Reading List title? Law Reserve Collection. 
This is a collection of high demand books, the most heavily used books on Law Faculty reading lists when not available online. Items display the status ‘Res Books’ on SOLO and have 'Reserve Collection’ shelfmarks. 

Please ask for Reserve Collection books at the Law Enquiry Desk on Level 2, the entrance level. Remember to bring your University or Bodleian Reader's card with you, as these 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. 
Note: The Reserve Collection books are not restricted to those readers on the particular courses.

Roman law books in the Reserve Collection have shelf marks beginning KE.

The majority of the Law Bod's collection of Roman law books are in a different area of shelving on Level 2.

This collection has shelf marks beginning Roman. The collection is arranged following the classification below:

Roman 500 - General introductions/overviews

Roman 510-601 - Legal sources and literature

Roman 610 - Dictionaries

Roman 620-625 - Lay sources and literature

Roman 630 - Law of persons

Roman 635 - Law of property

Roman 640-642 - Law of obligations

Roman 645 - Law of succession

Roman 650 - Law of actions and procedure

Roman 655 - Criminal law

Roman 660 - Constitutional law

Roman 670 - Jurisitic epigraphy and papyrology, and the law of Greco-Roman Egypt

Roman 675 - Byzantine law

Roman 680 - collected and collective works and historiography

Roman 690 - Encyclopaedias and bibliographies

The Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library holds the Bodleian's collection on the Classics - ancient history and literature. SOLO searches may therefore reveal that it holds another copy of a book the Law Bod has, or the physical copy of a book available only online if you are working in the Law Bod.

Why are some books not available electronically?

There are a number of reasons why the Bodleian Libraries may be unable to provide electronic access to a resource. The ebooks guide explains some of these reasons:

Inter-library loans

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the book you are looking for, we may be able to source it through Oxford's inter-library loan service.

Recommend a book

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the print or ebook you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below (Oxford Single-Sign On required).