Book Review: The Law of International Trade: Cross-Border Commercial Transactions

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Pages: 433-434
• Published date: 25 May 2019
• Date: 25 May 2019
• Citation: (2009) 21 SA Merc LJ 433
• Author: Michelle Kelly-Louw

Book Reviews

The Law of International Trade: Cross-Border Commercial Transactions.

Fourth edition. By Jason CT Chuah. London: Sweet & Maxwell. 2009. li &

756 pp (including the index). Price £32-95 (excluding postage and packaging)

(soft cover). ISBN 978-1-847-03344-4.

The law of international trade is a complicated, but also a very important

and fascinating area of the law. One needs to consider not only the relevant

domestic law, but also many other international rules, treaties and even

conventions of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

(‘UNCITRAL’). This often causes anyone interested in international trade law

to feel overwhelmed by the vast quantity of legislation and materials to be

considered. In the book under discussion, Chuah has again brilliantly

managed in his fourth edition to create a one-stop, user-friendly book on the

English law of international trade for lawyers, academics, bankers and even

law students (both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels). The Law of

International Trade: Cross-Border Commercial Transactions is one of the

best texts currently available on the English law of international trade.

In international trade law there are often many pieces of legislation

(including regulations), international rules, conventions and treaties that can

apply to cross-border commercial transactions, and in certain instances one

may need a thorough knowledge of all of this, before being able to understand

all the intricacies of this area of the law. Chuah has successfully managed to

create a useful and practical book providing all the necessary information

regarding the English law of international trade. The book contains 15

chapters and the text is set out in 733 pages. It contains a discussion of the

English international trade law, and also excellent comprehensive discussions

of the relevant international instruments, such as the International Chamber of

Commerce’s (‘ICC’) Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits

(2007 version) (see ICC Publication No 600, Paris (2006)) (‘UCP 600’),

ICC’s Uniform Rules for Collection (see ICC Publication No 522, Paris

(1995)), URR725, Rome I and Rome II Regulations, the UNCITRAL Draft

Convention on Contracts for International Carriage of Goods wholly or partly

by Sea (2008), and the Vienna Convention on Contracts for the International

Sale of Goods (1980). There is a perfect marriage between the English law

and the international instruments throughout the book. There is no need for a

reader to consult the relevant legislation, international instruments or

conventions, because the book contains all the relevant information in one

convenient place.

This book contains a theoretical discussion of all the relevant legal

principles, and necessary practical examples aiding the reader in fully

understanding the whole framework and workings of international trade law

433

(2009) 21 SA Merc LJ 433

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