Dicey Morris & Collins


Dicey, Morris & Collins on the Conflict of Laws is the leading English law textbook on the conflict of laws. It has been described as the "gold standard" in terms of academic writing on the subject, and the "foremost authority on private international law".

Editors

The textbook has had three principal general editors during its life:
Since 2015, Professor Jonathan Harris QC has been joint general editor with Lord Collins of Mapesbury.
Between 1922 and 1949 A. Berriedale Keith was also a general editor of the text, but has not been honoured with a permanent place in the book's title.
In the most recent edition, the team of editors includes Professor C G J Morse, Professor David McClean, Professor Adrian Briggs, Professor Jonathan Harris, Professor Campbell McLachlan QC, Professor Andrew Dickinson and Professor Peter McEleavy.

Editions

The first edition was published in 1896 under the title A Digest of the Law of England with reference to the Conflict of Laws. The 15th and most recent edition was published in 2012.
YearEditionGeneral Editors
1896First EditionA.V. Dicey
1908Second EditionA.V. Dicey
1922Third EditionA.V. Dicey and A. Berriedale Keith
1927Fourth EditionA. Berriedale Keith
1932Fifth EditionA. Berriedale Keith
1949Sixth EditionJ.H.C. Morris
1958Seventh EditionJ.H.C. Morris
1967Eighth EditionJ.H.C. Morris
1973Ninth EditionJ.H.C. Morris
1980Tenth EditionJ.H.C. Morris
1987Eleventh EditionLawrence Collins
1992Lawrence Collins
1993Twelfth EditionLawrence Collins
1994Lawrence Collins
2000Thirteenth EditionLawrence Collins
2006Fourteenth EditionSir Lawrence Collins
2012Fifteenth EditionLord Collins of Mapesbury

Format

Unusually for an academic textbook, Dicey, Morris & Collins is set out in a series of "Rules". The format dates from the time when there was relatively little case law or statute law on the subject, and A.V. Dicey tried to formulate the text from first principles. The format became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy as during the evolution of the subject judges would often cite rules in the textbook as authoritative propositions for their rulings.

Footnotes