There is no shortage of consumer law textbooks on the market. Two of the more recent works are The Law of Consumer Protection and Fair Trading (now in its fifth edition) by Brian Harvey and Deborah Parry, and Textbook on Consumer Law (a newcomer, although replacing a similar work by David Oughton alone) from David Oughton and John Lowry. Both books are welcome additions to the literature.

Harvey & Parry should by now be regarded as a classic work on consumer law, and is notable for its readable and thorough style. It is divided into 13 chapters, and includes appendices on Safety Regulations, the Consumer Protection (Code of Practice for Traders on Price Indications) Approval Order 1988 and varieties of consumer credit transactions in tabular form.

This is a very solid, scholarly work. It is aimed at students, consumer advisers and lawyers, and will be of use to all three groups. Of course, producing a book which gives the lawyer the depth of knowledge needed, and the student the context in which the law operates, is an almost impossible task. Although it includes an excellent chapter on the historical, economic and philosophical background to consumer protection, and another on UK consumer protection in the European context, it is not as strong on explaining the law in its broader context as some of its competitors. For this reason, it might not be as appropriate as some other works for the very able student. However, it should be borne in mind that, if it were stronger in that respect, this might weaken its appeal and utility to practitioners. Also, of course, Harvey & Parry does not set out to be a law in context book. If it is judged, as all books should be, against its stated aim, which in this case is “to provide a comprehensive yet readable guide that is suitable for use by law students, students of consumer affairs, trading standards officers, advisory agencies and solicitors and barristers”, then it is undoubtedly a significant success. It is also useful in that it is one of the very few consumer law textbooks to deal with that legal minefield which is weights and measures law. I found little in the way of typographical errors with the exception of referring to Professor Harvey as a former “Pre Vice Chancellor”, and nothing which could be described as an error of law. On the contrary, the fifth edition is just as authoritative as its predecessors.

Textbook on Consumer Law has the unenviable task of breaking into a crowded market. However, it is a useful addition to the literature. The book is divided into 20 chapters, and covers the main areas that one would expect to find in the traditional consumer law course. Deciding what to include in, and exclude from, any textbook is a thankless task. It is bound to attract attention from reviewers who have their own hobby horses and prejudices. One interesting inclusion in this book is a chapter on consumer insurance. This is certainly an interesting area, but I wonder if it warranted the 44 pages devoted to it, when a subject such as Trade Descriptions in Relation to Goods, a topic which is likely to form a major part of most consumer law courses, is allowed little more than half that amount. But this is a minor point, and should not detract from what is unquestionably a good book. Oughton & Lowry is written in an accessible manner, and even introduces occasional touches of humour!

So how do the books compare? They are both good textbooks. They are well written, comprehensive, as well as comprehensible, and reasonably priced for the student market. In my view, Harvey & Parry is slightly stronger on the detail, and has a strong contextual section at the start, while Oughton & Lowry may have the edge on some of the broader issues, particularly in the