Synopsis
The authoritative source for the essentials of international law
For nearly twenty years, the international legal community has relied on one ambitious yet humble volume as a starting point for legal questions. This classic red volume is a one-of-a-kind reference tool that brings together both terminology and pertinent descriptive information on international law.
Now in its second edition, Parry and Grant has been completely updated and expanded to include increased coverage in growing areas of international law including diplomatic law, criminal law, human rights, and more. Over 2400 entries provide the reader with copious references for further research including cases, treaties, journal articles, and websites.
Its alphabetically arranged entries allow the reader to form a deeper understanding than a mere definition could supply and offer concise but substantial information on such essentials of international law as:
DT Legal terms as used in international law
DT Significant doctrines
DT Prominent cases, decisions and arbitration
DT Important incidents
DT Judicial and literary figures
DT Treaties and conventions
DT Organizations and institutions
DT Acronyms
A documentary appendix includes the United Nations Charter, the Statute of the International Court of Justice and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
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About the Author
International law scholars, like their colleagues in other law disciplines, are notoriously reluctant to define terms. Recognizing the need for a dictionary of international law terms, Professor Clive Parry at Cambridge University and John Grant at Glasgow University both began the project independently.
A meeting between Parry and Grant revealed their separate projects and they decided to join forces. It soon became apparent that the projects were not identical, Clive's taking an almost encyclopedic approach, while John tended more towards a dictionary. The merged project in essence split the difference, deliberately drafting entries for a dictionary and an encyclopedia. The book's title was consciously chosen to reflect composition of the book.
The first edition of the Encyclopedic Dictionary appeared in 1986, after about six years work. They were able to get assistance from a number of international law teachers at Scottish law schools. The untimely death of Clive in 1982 delayed progress until Anthony Parry, Clive's son and a scholar in his own right, and Arthur Watts, then deputy legal adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, leant their support. It now seems incredible to think that a work of some 450 pages and 1,980 entries could be produced in pre-word processing and pre-Internet times.
John was recently invited to edit a new edition. His first task was to identify a co-editor and he had no hesitation in inviting Dr. Craig Barker of the Reading University School of Law in England to join him. With the research assistance of four exceptionally talented J.D. students at Lewis & Clark Law School, they intend to review all the existing entries and to update and revise them as necessary. Already, they have found close to 500 new terms to define, particularly in the human rights, international criminal law and environmental law areas. There are many cases since 1986 to digest. The two decades since the publication of the last edition have seen considerable growth in the discipline of international law. One of the most noticeable has been in the field of international criminal law culminating recently with the entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Similarly, the recent emergence of the World Trade Organization in succession to the GATT has been the cause of considerable growth in the volume of international economic law, and is also evidence of the general increase in the number and importance of international organizations. Increased global concern with the environment and human rights has resulted in significant legal developments in both fields over recent years. This new edition of the Dictionary will reflect these developments.
At the same time, traditional topics of public international law, which focus on the state and its apparatus have been regularly challenged but, nevertheless, remain central to the maintenance of the international legal system. These include topics such as statehood, title to territory, jurisdiction, and international immunities, which will remain the central focus of the Dictionary. Finally, one of the most noticeable developments in international law in the last few years has been the increased willingness of States to submit international disputes to judicial settlement. The new edition of the dictionary will ensure that all decisions of the International Court of Justice are digested, along with the major international arbitrations.
For those who might find fault with some of the definitions employed in the Encyclopedic Dictionary, the best defense is that of Dr. Samuel Johnson, the greatest lexicographer of all time. When asked why he had defined a pastern as the knee of a horse (it's part of the foot), he replied "Ignorance ma'am! Sheer ignorance." But those who use the new edition will at least know that considerable time and effort has gone in to keeping ignorance at bay.
If international law scholars did not routinely define terms in the 1980s, no more do they now. The need for a dictionary of international law, in English and of reasonable compass and price, remains."
-Adapted from an article by John P. Grant, Lewis & Clark Law School and Professor Emeritus of International Law, University of Glasgow
(This article appeared in Oceana Publications Law Library Newsletter , Volume 43, Number 5, October 2002, Page 1)
Review
The second edition of this book lives up to the tradition established by the first edition. I wholeheartedly recommend it for any law library collection whether academic, law firm, corporate department, court, or government agency. Marci Hoffman, International Journal of Legal Information A classic, indispensible international legal reference tool ... We have waited almost two decades for a new edition of this incomparable work, and the second edition does not disappoint. Canadian Law Library Review
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