MSCD Second Edition Available on Preorder

Publication of the second edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is fast approaching. One sign is that a page for the book is now up on the ABA’s Web Store. (For the first six months, it will be available only through the ABA.) Check out the sharp new cover!

Even more to the point, check out the ABA’s preorder offer. The regular price is $74.95 ($59.95 for members of the ABA Section of Business Law), but if you preorder it, you get a 15% discount, making the price $63.71 ($50.96 for members of the ABA Section of Business Law). You can order through the website or by calling the ABA at (800) 285-2221 or (312) 988-5522.

That ABA can ship overseas. Given the state of the U.S. dollar, the book might be something of a bargain for overseas purchasers, even with shipping charges.

I expect the book to be available in early August, so if you preorder, you won’t have to wait more than about month to receive your copy.

You might be wondering why the second edition is more expensive than the first edition. The main reason is that the second edition is more than 200 pages longer than the first edition.

In addition to adding new material, I’ve extensively overhauled what was in the first edition. And the book has been entirely redesigned; I think it looks great. All told, the second edition is an entirely new book. If you liked the first edition, you’ll looooooove the second edition.

Another nifty feature of this edition is that as requested by some readers, it uses semi-concealed Wire-O binding. (That’s the binding the Bluebook uses, except that in the case of MSCD the cover wraps around the wire binding.) So the book will stay open at any page you turn to. Also, pages won’t start falling out after repeated use, which is what has happened to my copy of the first edition. And I like the message implicit in Wire-O binding: This is a reference work—it’s intended to be consulted often.

About the author

Ken Adams is the leading authority on how to say clearly whatever you want to say in a contract. He’s author of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, and he offers online and in-person training around the world. He’s also chief content officer of LegalSifter, Inc., a company that combines artificial intelligence and expertise to assist with review of contracts.

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