Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract explained

Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract (2008) is a book by Charles Mitchell and Paul Mitchell, which outlines the key cases in English contract law.

Content

The cases discussed are,

• Coggs v Barnard (1703) on bailment
• Pillans v Van Mierop (1765) on the doctrine of consideration
• Carter v Boehm (1766) on good faith
• Da Costa v Jones (1778)
• Hochster v De La Tour (1853) on anticipatory breach
• Smith v Hughes (1871) on unilateral mistake and the objective approach to interpretation of contracts
• Foakes v Beer^[1] (1884) on part payments of debt (with a notable dissenting opinion by Lord Blackburn)
• The Hong Kong Fir (1961) on innominate terms, allowing the court remedial flexibility
• Suisse Atlantique Societe d'Armament SA v NV Rotterdamsche Kolen Centrale (1966)
• Rearden Smith Lines Ltd v Yngvar Hansen Tangan or The Diana Prosperity (1976) 1 WLR 989 on a contextual approach to contractual interpretation
• Johnson v Agnew (1979) that damages are to be assessed on the date when a breach can reasonably be discovered neither any cost

Reception

The book received reviews from publications including the Singapore Journal of Legal Studies,^[2] The Journal of Legal History,^[3] Revue trimestrielle de droit civil,^[4] and the Australian Banking and Finance Law Bulletin.^[5]

See also

• Landmark case
• Restitution in English law
• Landmark Cases in the Law of Restitution (2006) by Charles Mitchell and Paul Mitchell
• Landmark Cases in the Law of Tort (2010) by Charles Mitchell and Paul Mitchell
• Landmark Cases in Family Law (2011) by Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring and Rebecca Probert
• Landmark Cases in Equity (2012) by Charles Mitchell and Paul Mitchell (6 Jul 2012)

Notes and References

1. Foakes v Beer . Foakes v Beer . 1884 . UKHL . 1 . 16 May 1884 . 9 App Cas 605, (1883-84) LR 9 App Cas 605, (1884) 9 App Cas 605.
2. Reviewed work: Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract, Charles Mitchell, Paul Mitchell. 24870296. Goh. Yihan. Singapore Journal of Legal Studies. 2009. 296–300.
3. Book Review. 10.1080/01440360902774789. 2009. Campbell. David. The Journal of Legal History. 30. 107–110. 219627643. subscription.
4. Review of Charles Mitchell and Paul Mitchell (Eds.), Landmark Cases in the Law of Restitution (Oxford, 2006), Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract (Oxford, 2008), Landmark Cases in the Law of Tort (Oxford, 2010), and Landmark Cases in Equity (Oxford, 2012). Revue Trimestrielle de Droit Civil. 2015. 114. Descheemaeker. E..
5. Web site: Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract.