Description: Tackles the problems of contemporary free speech law by applying the lessons of the past to address the challenges of the present.
Brief description: Adam Tomkins is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow.
Review Quotes:
"Much more than a law book. It is an elegant account of the history of free speech, not just as a legal concept but as a cultural and political idea ... It deserves a much wider readership than just lawyers." --Lord Sumption, The Spectator
"This is a brilliant book that describes the history of restrictions on expression by voice, later by written word and now by electronic means." --Law Society Gazette "[A] valuable account of the emergence of and global arguments around free expression." --Law and Liberty "This book displays an admirably succinct mastery of its inherently controversial subject matter and, without losing balance, a tightly reasoned commitment to the protection of free speech." --New Law Journal "This book should appeal to all level-headed free speech enthusiasts, not only for the judicious and pragmatic line that Tomkins has taken in dealing with many of the knotty issues encountered in this area of law and policy, but also for his explicit recognition that self-regulation has as much a role to play in combating many ills such as disinformation and fake news as hard law." --The Commonwealth Lawyer