The hornbook is the first place to turn when you are confused, or the professor is playing hide the ball. In these wonderful books you will find "black letter" law, i.e. the basic principles of the law accepted by most courts, scholars, and attorneys. Hornbooks are a blessing. They are easy to use, written in plain English, and explain difficult concepts clearly. If an issue bogs you down, you should immediately reach for a hornbook.

If you read 1L, then you should remember that one character in the book studied hornbooks for each subject the summer before law school. I don't think this is necessary, but if you feel compelled the books below are available through online legal book sellers.

Hornbooks are universal, and will work with any professor. In each subject there is usually one or two hornbooks that professors and students recognize as the best. An example is Prosser on Torts. Every single first year should and most likely will own this book. It is the recognized authority on the black letter law of Torts.

There are a lot of Hornbooks out there. Here are my favorites:

• E. Allan Farnsworth, Contracts, (1990).
• Robert E. Keeton, et al., Prosser and Keeton on Torts, (1984)
• John J. Cound, et al., Civil Procedure, (1993)
• John E. Cribbet, et al., Principles of the Law of Property.