The Origin of Property in Land With an introductory chapter on the English manor by W. J. Ashley

"The Origin of Property in Land" by Fustel de Coulanges is an exploration that questions common ideas about how land became privately owned. It looks closely at the belief that societies first shared land as a group before individuals started owning it, especially in places with German legal traditions. The book checks old papers and laws to go against the theory of shared land ownership that some people believed. It begins by taking a good look at how some historians thought early groups worked the land together before private property existed. Instead of agreeing with this idea, the author searches though studies for proof, bringing up problems with the theories. The book points out that old German laws seemed to lean more towards private ownership instead of group involvement, suggesting what seemed like group ownership might just show families or individuals owning land, which then led to private property becoming more important than community rights.