Legal Commentary

The Rise of the Uncorporation

By Kenneth Anderson

Congratulations to Larry Ribstein on his new book from OUP, The Rise of the Uncorporation.  I somehow got a comp copy in the mail, just finished reading it, and it is terrific.  A gracefully written essay on business law!(!!)  It manages to meld together law, history of business and legal forms in business, law and economics, and sociology into an exceptionally readable short book.  The discussion of the rise of the LLC is fascinating ? I thought I knew all about it, as someone who teaches private equity and business associations, but boy, was I wrong.  The frame of social history in business form is a real contribution to a field that is oddly neglected by legal academics, the political and social theory of the corporation and the business assocation.

(My only complaint is that at $70 list, and $50 on Amazon, it is still a little pricey at least if, like me, you would want it for students and courses, like my private equity course, where it would be a fantastically useful and readable supplement.  I think OUP has missed on market pricing here.  I would love to require it as a secondary text in my private equity course, but at that price, I don?t think I can justify it.  Maybe when it?s out in paperback?  Or Kindle?)

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on January 16, 2010 (boomark / email).