reference

As one of Professor Samaha's students, I found that using this particular text in corrolation with his lectures was extremely benefical in learning the basics of criminal law. His personal insight on the case studies undoubtedly aided in understanding the material, but I suspect that the text would not have stuck me as such an outstanding book had Professor Samaha not been there to add additional information on each aspect of his work. However, even without the personal commentary, the text is still a very clear and concise resource that would be excellent for an introductory course on criminal law.

The text itself is barely adequate for an undergraduate level class (I wouldn't consider it for graduate study). At first I was excited by the addition of the "case method" technique for presenting criminal theory, but after struggling with the poorly edited cases I find myself actually skipping them.

The explanations and examples used in this book do meet minimal standards, but don't expect much more than that. It's almost as if the author were too busy with other projects to actually put together a quality product.

To make matters worse the support material provided to professors is horrible. I'm not normally a big "test bank" type of instructor, but one of the selling points to this book was the extensive library of material available. Sadly, this is once again proof that quantity does not always equal quality.

The test bank is full of very poorly worded questions. What's worse is that many of the questions have answers which contradict the book. In other words, the test key and the book do not agree....END

Having taught an undergraduate class using this book, I wouldn't really recommend it. The writing lacks punch, and many of the theoretical discussions are over-simplified or simply incorrect. (The discussion of causation is such a case.) For either undergrad or law classes, I'd recommend the more difficult but rewarding Kadish and Schulhofer text.