Giles Jacob

author

Giles Jacob

1686–1744

Best remembered for compiling one of the most influential law dictionaries of the eighteenth century, this British legal writer helped make English legal language more accessible to working readers. His books remained widely used long after his death, including in the early United States.

1 Audiobook

Tractus de Hermaphrodites; Or, A Treatise of Hermaphrodites

Tractus de Hermaphrodites; Or, A Treatise of Hermaphrodites

by Giles Jacob

About the author

Born in Romsey, Hampshire, in 1686, Giles Jacob became a prolific British legal writer and also published literary work. Contemporary and later reference sources describe him as one of the leading legal compilers of his time, with a career shaped by practical legal training rather than university fame.

Jacob is chiefly known for A New Law-Dictionary, first published in 1729. The work explained legal words and concepts in plain, organized form, and it proved remarkably durable, going through many later editions and becoming especially popular in the newly independent United States.

He died on May 8, 1744. Although he was mocked by some literary rivals, his reputation has lasted because his writing was useful: he turned dense legal terminology into reference books that readers could actually work with.