What are the foundational principles of the English common law system as codified in the eighteenth century? This multi-volume scholarly edition presents William Blackstone's seminal legal treatise, augmented by modern introductions and textual apparatus provided by legal historians David Lemmings, Simon Stern, Thomas P. Gallanis, and Ruth Paley. The work serves as a comprehensive analysis of the rights of persons, property, private wrongs, and public wrongs, contextualizing Blackstone's original text within the broader framework of British jurisprudence.

Legal scholars and historians recognize this edition as a definitive resource for studying the evolution of common law. Experts frequently cite the inclusion of modern textual apparatus as a significant improvement for navigating the dense, archaic prose of the original eighteenth-century source material.