Maritime Law: An Annotated Bibliography of Essential Publications

Abstract

The terms “admiralty” and “maritime law” are virtually synonymous and are frequently used interchangeably. They refer to that body of law which relates to marine commerce and navigation, to ships and shipping, to seamen, to the transportation of persons and the carriage of property by sea, and to marine affairs in general. Admiralty or maritime law therefore does not comprise a single category of legal theory such as contracts or torts but rather incorporates a variety of traditional legal subjects including contracts and torts, procedure, and jurisdiction as well as several unique areas such as general average. Since maritime law does not focus on a single field of legal theory, it is useful to divide the subject into separate topics. Among these are: (l)Marine Insurance and General Average; (2) Carriage of Goods and Cargo Damage; (3) Charter Parties and Bills of Lading; (4) Personal Injury and Death; (5) Collision and Rules of the Road; (6) Salvage and Towage; and, (7) Maritime Liens and Ship Mortgages. These classifications should not, however, be regarded as rigid since there often is overlap between topics. Additionally, there are general treatises on the subject, case reporters, dictionaries, directories, and journals which include articles exclusively on maritime law.