It was published by the Oxford University Press, and a paperback edition was released in 1985.
The central theme is that the notion of a contract based on consent (or a "meeting of minds") was almost entirely absent before 1800 in the law.
[1] You could revoke a promise, and the concept of an executory contract was unknown.
[4] Atiyah argues that it began with the notion of freedom of property, summed up in the phrase of Sir Edward Coke in Semayne's case that every man's home is his castle.
Atiyah illustrates how the growth of consumer protection, rent and employment legislation has moved contract back into smaller confines, based on general notions of fairness.