James Salzman

Michael A. Heller

In a lively Freakonomics-style survey of ownership, two acclaimed law professors reveal the hidden rules that decide who owns what and how they control our lives "Mine!" is one of the first words babies learn. The instinct for possession is hardwired in our DNA and is one of the driving forces of human (and animal) psychology. By the time we grow up, whether we are buying coffee or a home, we assume that "mine" couldn't be simpler. But who controls the space behind your airplane seat, you reclining or the passenger behind you trying to work on her laptop? Should someone be prohibited from operating a food truck in the metered parking space in front of your restaurant? Should you have the right to shoot down a drone peering into your house as it delivers a UPS package to your neighbor? Mine! reveals that much of what we assume about ownership is not natural at all--there are hidden rules that have emerged over centuries of social living, wielded by governments, businesses, and savvy others to their own benefit. More important still, these choices are always in flux and open to revision. Mine! is your guide into this hidden world of ownership that controls our lives.

How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives

Mine!

A History

Drinking Water

David Hunter

Durwood Zaelke

Treaty supplement examining all the major aspects of international environmental law and policy. Section titles discuss: International Lawmaking; Principles of International Environmental Law; Air and Atmosphere; Oceans and Seas; Freshwater Resources; Hazardous Wastes and Chemicals; Wildlife and Biodiversity; Protection of Habitat and Natural Places; and International Trade.

International Environmental Law and Policy

Michael Heller

Who controls the space around an aeroplane seat: you or the person behind you trying to work on their laptop? Who owns your favourite football player? And why do Facebook and Google want your private data? In Mine! Michael Heller and James Salzman reveal the hidden economic and social rules that guide everyday life, demonstrating that much of what we assume about ownership is wrong. Whether a lost wallet, a playground swing or a London flat, Mine! explores what ownership means and why it governs everything we do.

Duke professor James Salzman shows how drinking water highlights the most pressing issues of our time--from globalization and social justice to terrorism and climate change--and how humans have been wrestling with these problems for centuries.

James Salzman

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