"Tamanaha has written a provocative challenge to conventional wisdom about the rise of judicial realism... Strongly recommended for scholars and students of law, political science, and history."
Choice "Beyond the Formalist-Realist Divide is a clearly written and groundbreaking book. Although its focus is historical, its objective
in which it succeeds
is to change the way we think about law today."
Henry Cohen, Federal Lawyer ... Read more"Tamanaha's book reflects some striking research into the views of (largely forgotten or neglected) 19th-century law professors and jurists, and the material he has brought to our attention will demand attention from legal historians... [W]e should be grateful to Tamanaha for his provocative historical research, for laying down a vigorous challenge that should be met by historians of ideas and social scientists, and for imparting appropriate intellectual caution and modesty to future writers who might otherwise be prone to casual talk about a 'formalist' age in American legal thought."
Brian Leiter, Legal Theory "Tamanaha's ... book will change the way we think about both formalism and realism, about the history of legal scholarship and about the empirical study of judicial decision making."
Edward Rubin, Law and Politics Review Show Less