Dictionaries Make Strange Bedfellows

Whisner, Mary

Dictionaries Make Strange Bedfellows

LANGUAGE AND THE LAW: PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE, Dec. 6-8, 2001, Marlyn Robinson, ed., pp. 93-108, William S. Hein & Co., 2003

17 Pages Posted: 20 Feb 2009 Last revised: 1 Aug 2011

See all articles by Mary Whisner

Mary Whisner

University of Washington - School of Law

Date Written: February 16, 2002

Abstract

Bouvier's Law Dictionary was very popular among U.S. lawyers for a century, from the publication of its first edition in 1839. It is useful today for historical researchers. And it is very highly regarded by a particular sort of legal researcher - tax protesters, Patriots, Freemen, and their ideological kin. This essay offers biographical information about John Bouvier and discusses its current use.

Keywords: Bouvier, legal dictionaries, tax protesters, Freemen, Patriots

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Whisner, Mary, Dictionaries Make Strange Bedfellows (February 16, 2002). LANGUAGE AND THE LAW: PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE, Dec. 6-8, 2001, Marlyn Robinson, ed., pp. 93-108, William S. Hein & Co., 2003, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1344744