Stroud's Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases (3 Volumes Set)

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Description
The sixth edition was the occasion for removing a considerable amount of material that was no longer likely to be of significant assistance for modern research, while preserving a certain amount of historical material that would be of occasional use and would be found nowhere else if not in Stroud. The seventh and eighth editions have seen renewed growth of the overall size of the dictionary, and another cull is probably inevitable next time around. For the present, however, the policy remains as a general rule to add material without making compensating omissions, on the grounds that Stroud is generally used as an opportunity for comprehensive initial research, following which readers are able to select for themselves which sources to investigate further. For that reason too, the practice for the last two editions has been to include full quotations and not mere citations wherever possible; although this accelerates the increase in the length of the work, it also helps readers to identify which sources are particularly promising in the context of their research.  The overall editorial policy remains as I stated it when I first became responsible for the annual supplements in 1996. The aim is for Stroud to be—
an authoritative guide to the present construction of words and phrases occurring in legislation and other legal documents (by reference both to decided cases and to express legislative definitions in various con¬texts), a source of ideas useful in framing definitions of particular concepts in the drafting of contracts and other legal documents, and generally, a useful tool for legal practitioners of all kinds and for members of related professions. As a general rule, Stroud does not now include—
words and phrases likely to be of interest only to specialist practitioners, who will have their own sources of reference, or material of purely historical interest (although it does include old cases and statutes of continuing importance or potential use).
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Author Details
Daniel Greenberg, Barrister of Lincon’s Inn; and of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
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