One of my favourite books on legal history- over 1200 years, describing the life and times of the day and the legal system that came as a result. It puts everything in perspective- that the modern state as we know it - is still a fleeting phenomenon.

There are some really cool stories: for example, the Norman Conquest - everything became the King’s unlike before where it was more of a decentralized land-based/clan-based rule. The social upheaval that resulted is a stark reminder of how a system of thought and beliefs is the true basis of power and order.