Merrill, Smith, and Brady's Property: Principles and Policies, 4th

This revised casebook is designed for a “building block” property course that serves as a student’s foundation for the rest of law school and beyond. Avoiding the typical hodge-podge of issues, the book presents material in an integrated way, exploring how owner sovereignty and its limits, community values, and societal purposes are or are not realized in the structures of property law and institutions. Using vivid cases, both old and new, timely issues in intellectual property, land use, and regulatory takings are given expansive treatment, as well as traditional topics like custom, equity, and restitution. The emphasis throughout is on fundamental principles and policy questions.