The Gazette 1975

are invaluable, but, of course, they will always have to consider the vagaries of juries in the Irish High Court. These volumes are absolutely indispensable to all prac- titioners who have to deal constantly with personal injury or fatal accident claims. The authors are to be congratulated upon their industry in collating this material, while the publishers have as usual to be com- mended for the skilful presentation of the text. The high price is unfortunately inevitable in these days of infla- tion, when the cost of newsprint and other materials is soaring. Treitel (G. H.)—The Law of Contract. 4th edition. London, Stevens, 1975. Pp. xlix, 721. 25 cm. £6.80 paperback. Those of us who have known Mr. Treitel's learned work since the first edition in 1962, had already grasped that the All Souls Reader in English Law (not in English as stated on the cover) was an expert on the law of obligations and contract. The mastery displayed in explaining the most difficult propositions of law relating in particular to Standard Form, Contracts, Mistake, Misrepresentation, Privity and Agency had already placed this textbook in a very special category which mainly honours students appreciated. The learned author had the knack of explaining cases in a way in which they could be easily memorised. This applies all the more to this edition, and particularly to the final chapter on Remedies, where innumerable up-to- date cases are summarised. Presumably there are so many English cases summarised that the learned author did not consider it worth while to mention at least some Irish cases; this attitude is regrettable. Instances of modern cases are : (1) Harbutt's Plasticine v. Wayne Tank Co. — (1970) 1 Q.B. — where defendants lost because they carried out negligently a contract to design and install in the plaintiff's factory a particular equipment. (2) Lewis v. Averay — (1972) 1 Q.B. 198 — following Phillips v. Brooke (1919) in which a rogue, who purported to be Richard Greene, the well-known actor, induced the plaintiff to sell his car to him, and produced a worthless cheque; he then sold the car to defendant, who bought it in good faith. The plaintiff claimed the car from the defendant, but the claim failed, because the Court held the plaintiff intended to contract with the person physically before him. (3) Wroth v. Tyler — (1974) Ch.D. 30 — in which the defendants argued that they should not be liable for the full difference between the contract price and the market price, as they could not have contemplated the exceptionally large rises in house prices that occurred between 1971 and 1973. This was rejected by Megarry J. who held that the plaintiff was entitled to compen- sation for his loss in not getting a house. These exam- ples of modern jurisprudence in contract are fascin- ating, and the author has patiently gathered together in a most readable way hundreds of similar cases. This remains the leading readable textbook on Contract, and practitioners are strongly advised to acquire it.

to body. London, Butterworth, 1975. Price £39 if ordered in 1975; £45 if ordered in 1976 (including all Supplements to end of 1976). The previous editions of this learned work, from the first edition in 1954 to the third edition in 1967, had been undertaken by Mr. David Kemp and by his wife, Mrs. Sylvia Kemp, who has since died, and conse- quently, the contents of the two previous volumes have been radically revised. The Preface points out that various suggestions in previous editions have now be- come law in England, such as that Judges assess awards in the light of previous awards, and that lengthy jury trials for personal injuries were eliminated; it is high time juries should be dispensed with in civil cases in Ireland. In view of the fact that inflation is constantly diminishing the value of money, it is obvious that the amounts made for awards some years ago cannot be relied upon. Consequently the contents of the two pre- vious volumes have been completely revised. Volume 1 contains four parts as follows : (1) Law and practice common to both Personal Injury and Fatal Accident claims. (2) Law and practice applicable to Personal Injury claims only. (3) Law and practice applicable to Fatal Injury claims only, including classi- fied awards in such claims. (4) Appendices to relevant Texts of English statutes, including specimen pleadings in Fatal Accident claims and the involved question of full pecuniary compensation. Such questions as the incidence of tax and of benefits and of losses of ameni- ties in life in personal injury claims, as well as claims for the death of the various different relatives are fully dealt with. There are numerous examples of awards made by High Court Judges, which were either in- creased or reduced on appeal, but unfortunately the jury's verdict is normally paramount in Ireland. In the same way as our Supreme Court, the English case of Mitchell v. Mulholland — (1972) 1 Q.B. — has stressed the importance of actuarial evidence, but difficulties may arise over actuarial tables. Volume II—which is loose-leaf, consists of the follow- ing parts : (1) Table of Cases; (2) Injuries of the utmost severity such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, very severe brain damage, and permanent unconsciousness; (3) Cases of multiple injuries; (4) Injuries to the head, including epilepsy, face, ear and teeth; (5) Injuries , affecting hearing, sight, taste and balance; (6) Injuries affecting the neck and the spine; (7) Injuries affecting internal respiratory, digestive and reproductive organs; (8) Injuries affecting the pelvis and hip; (9) Injuries affecting the arm, hand and fingers; (10) Injuries affect- ing the legs and foot; (11) Miscellaneous conditions, including osteo-arthritis, traumatic neurosis, and loss of consortium; (12) Cases of complete recovery in the event of pain or shock; and (13) Mathematical awards in fatal accidents. Each of these sections consists first of Headnotes mostly from unreported English judgments, then a list of unauthenticated awards, and finally the text of full judgments, many of them unreported. Practitioners will appreciate that, for comparative purposes these tables

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