Book Reviews Van Houtte, Hans. The Law of International Trade. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1995. Pp. xli, 414. Index. £100. The distinction between public and private law retains, a titre juste, its attraction in European legal discourse despite the assaults from the other side of the Atlantic. But in some areas, even the most orthodox will accept that even as a practical matter it makes little sense. International Trade is one such area. For the purists this field covers the law of GATT and the WTO which governs and pits State against State and, at most, individuals against public authorities. There are many courses of International Trade in which discussion of a private contract of sale across national boundaries would be a UFO -something to be dealt with in International Business Transactions. The attractiveness of the van Houtte book is that it belongs to those books with a far more holistic view of' the subject and moves with ease from the substantive law of non-tariff restrictions, through international contracts of sale, through letters of credit. Procedurally, both private and public, domestic and international procedure and remedies are discussed. Because of its extensive scope packed into a relatively short format it should be regarded as that useful type of Handbook which introduces the field to newcomers and helps locate a problem in its correct contexts, after which more elaborate sources would have to be consulted. At £100 it is aimed at the practitioner. A student edition would be welcome. JHHW
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