This third edition, extensively revised and enlarged, emphasizes essential differences between law and literature, rooted in the different social functions of legal and literary texts. It also explores new topics: cruel and unusual punishments, illegal immigration, surveillance, global warming and bioterrorism, and plagiarism.

Richard A. Posner retired as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017. He was previously a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.