3 Review(s)

John Austin was a towering presence in nineteenth-century English jurisprudence. He lived at the centre of the utilitarian movement in London during the 1820s and 1830s, and became its leading philosopher of law after Bentham's death (1832). Wilfrid E. Rumble's book analyzes Austin's work in its historical context, and shows how much of it remains viable today -- including his conception of analytical jurisprudence, his sharp distinction between law and morality, and his utilitarian theory of resistance to government. The end result is a richer, more nuanced portrait of Austin's legal philosophy than his twentieth-century critics have painted. Doing Austin Justice thus fills a large gap in the literature about this important figure. It will be of substantial interest to jurists, historians of political philosophy, and of the nineteenth century more generally.