"In this masterful and engaging survey, Peter Cane provides an array of illuminating perspectives on the law of torts, laying bare its nature, structure and functions, as well as its legal, social and political context."--Andrew Robertson, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School ** "Key Ideas in Tort Law" offers nine key ideas about tort law that will help the reader to understand its various social functions and evaluate its effectiveness in performing those functions. The book focuses, in particular, on how tort law can guide people's behaviour, and the political and social environments within which it operates. It also provides the reader with a wealth of detail about the ideas and values that underlie tort 'doctrine'-tort law's rules and principles-and the way those rules and principles operate in practice. The book is an accessible introduction to tort law that will provide students, scholars, and practitioners alike with a fresh and engaging view of the subject. ** Hart Publishing's series Key Ideas in Law offers short, stimulating introductions to legal subjects, providing an opportunity to step back from the detail of the law to consider its broader intellectual foundations and ideas, and how these work in practice. Written by leading legal scholars with great expertise and depth of knowledge, the books offer an unparalleled combination of accessibility, concision, intellectual breadth and originality in legal writing. The books will appeal to students seeking a concise introduction to a subject, stimulating wider reading for a course or deeper understanding for an exam, as well as to scholars and practitioners for the fresh perspectives and new ideas they provide.

(Series: Key Ideas in Law, Vol. 2) [Subject: Tort Law, Contract Law].