A landmark reference work in the field of European private law, offering expert historical and comparative analysis on all major topics in the field
Sets current debates about legal harmonization in their historical context, providing an invaluable context in which to understand the modern politics of European private law
Features full bibliographies of the most important publications and information sources on national and transnational private law - serving as a go-to guide for research in the field
The emergence of European private law constitutes one of the most significant developments in the modern legal landscape. Driven by the European Union, a political programme of harmonization has begun to reshape the national private laws of Member States.

Successful legal reform depends on a solid foundation of understanding European private law in its entirety, including its historical development and the comparative law dimension. The Max Planck Encyclopedia of European Private Law provides such a foundation. The existing knowledge in many areas of European private law is presently available only through relatively inaccessible specialized literature; some areas are completely lacking systematic legal research. The Encyclopedia systematically gathers the available information at all different levels and in all various branches of private law and gives an overview on all major areas of European private law. The Encyclopedia consists of approximately 500 entries in alphabetical order. Each entry covers the subject matter with regard to its legal history, the comparative law dimension and unification projects - where they exist. A bibliography at the end of each entry provides an overview of the most important publications for further reading.

The Encyclopedia will be an essential reference point for all those working on European law and private law within Europe.

Readership: Academics, students, and policy-makers working in the field of national and transnational private law.