The Common Law is the 1881 treatise of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American lawyer and jurist who ultimately served on the U.S. Supreme Court, but who, early in his career, wrote this comprehensive history and statement of the Common Law of England, which forms such a significant part of the laws of the States in America. Holmes's work is unsurpassed for its purpose, and remains a requisite part of any lawyer's or judge's library. While in the public domain for quite some time, the book has not often been reprinted in hard cover since the last reprinting by Little, Brown & Company. It includes the full text and indices of Holmes's 1881 first edition as originally paginated, to retain the accuracy of all references. This version is designed to last a lifetime on the shelves and in the hands of American practitioners in the legal profession and the courts.