Advanced Introduction to Evidence

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

This Advanced Introduction to Evidence delivers a comprehensive exposition of the major tenets of evidence law, principally from an American perspective. Using the Federal Rules of Evidence as a structural framework, Richard D. Friedman reflects on the underlying policies, psychological perceptions and philosophical viewpoints that underpin evidence law.



This comprehensive and accessible book concludes that there are still several important factors that preclude a system of completely free proof, such as the need to prevent bias of the fact-finder, incentivise socially beneficial conduct, prevent undue intrusion on individuals’ lives and ensure that testimony is given according to prescribed procedures.



Key Features:







Provides an incisive overview of the law of evidence


Examines how common-law courts have become more receptive to evidence over the last 200 years


Deftly explores the policies, concepts and philosophies that have resulted in 21st-century evidence law


Analyses multiple factors that prevent the adoption of a legal system of completely free proof



This masterful Advanced Introduction will be a wonderful study aid for students learning evidence law and a crucial read for scholars and academics across multiple disciplines including evidence law, criminal law, constitutional law, criminology, politics, and sociology. It will also prove a key resource for legal practitioners and professionals working in public and social policy.