The book re-orients jurisprudence and develops an empirically informed theory of law that applies throughout history and across different societies.

Brian Tamanaha is William Gardiner Hammond Professor of Law at Washington University, St Louis School of Law. He is the author of eight books, including the prize-winning A General Jurisprudence of Law and Society (2001).

Introduction; 1. The third branch of jurisprudence; 2. What is law?; 3. Necessary and universal truths about law?; 4. A genealogical view of law; 5. Law in the age of organizations; 6. What is international law?; Conclusion: a realistic theory of law.