Frederic William Maitland

The Constitutional History of England: A Course of Lectures Delivered Frederic William Maitland Reprint of First Edition (1908) edition

Although Maitland reportedly never desired these lectures to be published, they have long been regarded by scholars as among the best of introductions to the subject. They cover the period from 1066 to the end of the nineteenth century, but rather than a narrative historical format, focus on describing the work of the constitution during five distinct periods in English history (1307, 1509, 1625, 1702, 1887). The lectures were delivered in the winter of 1887 and spring of 1888, and provide an entry to some of the major concepts he later expounded on in his seminal work written with Sir Frederick Pollock, The History of English Law. This volume was compiled and edited two years after Maitland's death by one of his students, Herbert A. L. Fisher.