Written for readers outside of the country who already have a general familiarity with private international law methodology, concepts, and norms, this text by Symeonides (law, Willamette U.) introduces the particulars of the subject in regards to the United States--two of those particulars being the fact that "private international law" is generally referred to as "conflict of laws" in the United States and the fact that, in contrast to much of the outside world, it is de facto and primarily state rather than national law. Following the introduction, chapters cover jurisdiction, federalism and choice of law, the traditional choice-of-law system, the structure and operation of the choice-of-law syllogism, the choice-of-law revolution, torts and products liability, contracts, status and domestic relations, statutes of limitation, conflicts between federal law and foreign law, and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments by other states and foreign countries. Symeonides compensates for the brevity of the treatment by incorporating reference footnotes into the body of the text. Annotation 2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
