This book, revised as the Third Edition July 2019, is designed to teach contract doctrine beginning with the most fundamental concepts and building on these until the structure of contract doctrine as coherent and cohesive regulation appears. The order of presentation is, in fact, the order in which contract doctrine developed historically, but it is also, in general, the order in which arguments are introduced in litigation.
The book begins with the most basic, core concept of contract lawÑexchange. The book teaches exchange using simple cases drawn from the actual development of the exchange conceptÕs most obvious manifestationÑthe doctrine of consideration. These cases have basic but engaging facts. They do not take long to read, but they must be read carefully. They make an excellent introduction to law study.