Good well written books.

I used the books as recommended, started with the study guide and handbook. Practiced the questions in the guide after reading each chapter of the handbook. Did this twice over. When I was sick and tired of reading the handbook, moved on to the practice tests. Passed the test! <br /><br />So yes, if you're preparing for the life in the UK test, get all three books!

Very helpful

Great book, I've found it helpful prior to starting my course and I'm 100% sure it's something I'll refer to as I progress.<br />

Student's Essential!

Having previously attempted to study Law at University, I thought I'd never find a book which made Law accessible. That was before I got this book.<br />It is an easy to read, accessible, down-to-earth book which lays down the basics that all Law students need to know. If you previously thought that My above description is an oxymoron when referring to law books, you're wrong. This book is a MUST-HAVE for all students of English Law.

Go to WH Smith for the form

The pack is OK. Brochure explains why you should make a will but I guess by the time someone has purchased a DIY will kit they will already have decided to make a will. There are three forms included. This just adds to the confusion and even as someone who has made a will before and has a broad understanding of the legalities it was difficult to choose. Could do with lots more wording examples. All in all a lot of money for a pack that added little to the information process. I would simply buy the will form and follow the instructions on the back

Oxford Dictionary of Law

A rather useless book. Doesn't actually clarify anything... any book claiming to be a dictionary of law or legal dictionary should at least tell you what a person is in the legal sense... A waste of money.

outstanding comparison of Continental and UK legal systems

This is a"must read" book for all those concerned by international legal positions and it is particularly interesting in that the description of the many discrepancies between Continental and Anglo-Saxon positions, culminating in clear and concise explanations on the war against terror and torture.

great help!

This book helped me to prepare my self for the test in less then 5 days!!! So, if you are thinking about which one to buy, this is the right one!!! Good Luck with the test!

Defending the Guilty

My wife is currently reading this book and finds it very absorbing. Well done Amazon for the excellent value and service

Excellent Purchase

I received the item the next day. The book was in perfect condition and you could tell it was new. No problems at all.

Good value for the multiple-choice part

This is a very good value book for the multiple choice element of the test (although I thought one or two of the questions were needlessly ambiguous). The real reason for my 4* rating, not a 5, is that the advice on grammar at the end of the book is seriously wrong on at least two points, and contains several errors of punctuation and syntax itself, which slightly discredits the book. Personally, I doubt whether anyone who needs such basic advice on grammar would do well reading law at a top university anyway.<br /><br />Preparing with this or similar books doesn't guarantee success; and a high score on the LNAT won't get you into a good university by itself. It shouldn't do you any harm if you use this book sensibly, however, and it might help you practise your technique and thus gain confidence. (I achieved a well-above average mark and got a place at my first choice university.)<br />

an excellent introduction, despite overlooking the power of media

Tony Wright is a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Labour party, and this puts him in a good position to introduce British politics to the uninitiated. He writes from experience as well as from academic knowledge, and gives many interesting anecdotes from his own experience. <br /><br />His position as an MP, however, also means that he has a few axes to grind, and keeps coming back to a small set of themes: <br />-Strong government is good, but needs better accountability (from Parliament, specifically). <br />-Parliament is a weak institution. <br />-The"first-past-the-post" election system does not reflect the true opinion of the electorate. <br />-The business of government has become the business of being re-elected. <br />As you read, you may get sick of seeing these same themes repeated again and again. However, they are important issues for discussion. <br /><br />While giving excellent coverage of power from a political perspective, he virtually ignores the power of the media over politics, except to comment"Instead of the media feeding off Parliament, as was once the case, it is now more common for Parliament to feed off the media." This could use elaboration in order to properly explain the state of modern British politics. <br /><br />I was recently listening to a discussion on BBC radio 4 about the centers of political power, commentators discussed the increasing concentration of power in the executive (as Wright does). Then one commentator said that the real power is now in the media, and the rest of them agreed unanimously. They had all been thinking in terms of official political positions, but the reality is that power does not always, or even primarily, lie in official places. However, Wright only deals with the politicians' part of this, which is to spin everything. <br /><br />Writing about spin and soundbites, Wright states,"Presentation is all. Spin blots out substance. Soundbites substitute for arguments. Repitition replaces originality." Said the kettle to the pot... I guess he misses the irony of writing about soundbites using a series of short, repetitive, sentences. In any case, he scarcely mentions why it is that politicians have gone in for spin: the media. <br /><br />One more cavil is that there are a couple of typographic errors, which is really unacceptable from such a respected press as the OUP. <br /><br />Other than missing out on the power of the media, this is a good summary of the political situation in Britian today, and of how it got there. If you need a readable overview of the British political system and it's workings, this little book will serve your purposes well.

Health and Safety Training

This book is essential reading for anyone undertaking the Nebosh Certificate Course. Also it is an excellent fresher guide for general H&S practitioners and useful as a training aid.<br /><br />Steve

Good but not for me

This book is well written but it does not really hit the mark for Irish undergraduate law students, of which I am one.

A nice introduction to the English Legal System

"The Law Machine" by Marcel Berlins and Clare Dyer, is an introductory book regarding the law, which is an intrinsic part of a nation. Without having any prior legal knowledge of English legal system whatsoever, it gave me good groundings upon the everchanging respective field. For that reason, the book that is to be considered must be fully updated- that actually it was. Basically, inspired by a television programme, it explains The Criminal and Civil process of law, using the case portrayed in the television. The author explicitly enunciates the judicial hierarchy, and then goes on to describes the lawyers. The author has honestly touched every part of law from confused and struggling novice barristers to well-paid solicitors, and the dominancy of barristers in the judiciary. This was the first book I used for an introductory reading and it acquainted me with much of basic knowledge that I was lacking and most of my questions have been answered. The language used by the authors is generally simple, though the book sometimes seems to be a bit turgid. Nonetheless, the reason for which I bought the book, that is to gain an acquaintanceship with the English Legal System has been, without a doubt, been fulfilled. To be succinct, its a reliable introductory law book.

DONT BUY

i was dissatisfied with the book; if you had not read other primary text on EU law already you may be mislead in the way material is presented; more disturbingly some evry important aspects of EC law are not covered, to give you one eg art 25 custom tariffs is not really covered, nor is the distinction between art 25 and art 90 covered; freedom of movement hardely touches on art 30 and so on and so on ; craig and De burga is certainly a better choice !!!!

Really useful for anyone new to law

I'm due to start a law degree in September, reading this book has given me a really good idea of what to expect and will help anyone who might be new to the legal world and needs a place to start. Its really easy to understand and the diagrams are a big help. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone taking an LLB.

Good for lots of practice, but a bit too difficult

This is by far the best book on the market in terms of amount of practice. The only way to learn for these critical thinking style tests is to learn the skills and then practice practice practice. Five 2 hour long practice tests is more than ample. The explanations are helpful and the questions challenging.<br /><br />However I then looked at the LNAT website's own online practice test. The passages were shorter, with more accessible language, and discarded many of the subtle nuances found in the Mastering the LNAT practice tests. While I agree that it is better to over prepare on harder questions and be pleasantly surprised, this is bordering on the ridiculous. By all means buy this book, it's great practice, but if you find it really very difficult, take it with a pinch of salt.<br /><br />Also to anyone that has it: Practice Test 3, Question 3. Is this mis-worded? I think there is a typo that means both c and e are correct answers.

Not impressed

I had to send the first one back as they had sent a poster in brown paper so it arrived all battered.<br /><br />The second came wrapped in a slightly stronger paper still slightly battered which isn't really good enough when you want to put something on your wall. <br /><br />I would suggest a tube next time!!

Excellent Reference for Police Officers

A great reference book. Quick and easy to find information if you need it in a hurry. Makes for interesting reading if you want to find out about some more obscure areas of Police law.

Not clear enough to be useful

I didn't find this book useful. I think that if you are the average sort of student that wants a bit of help with getting things right, you need a book that talks to you in ordinary language and makes it very clear what you are supposed to be doing. This book didn't do this. It had very convuluted explanations that I found really hard to follow. I'm not the best student in the world but I'm not the worst either but at the end of this book I was none the clearer about what I was supposed to be doing. In all honesty this was a waste of my time reading it. I've asked some of my friends if they thought it was useful as we all had to buy it but I haven't found anyone yet who has used the advice in there and most other students have said that they couldn't get what it was on about either. I mean, make it clear or don't bother. I wish I'd saved my money.