Bar books
Second-hand Bar books from OUP, passed on by candidates a sitting ahead of you - with an edition check for every paper.
Recently listed Bar books
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New listings appear here as candidates finish their sittings. Pick your paper below to check which edition to buy.
Bar papers
Each paper has its own listings and an edition guide showing which printings are valid for which sittings.
Bar course skills
Bar course knowledge
Centralised exams
Finished a sitting?
Check your study texts in one go, then list the current editions free while the next candidate still needs them.
Bar book guides
- Textbook ISBN and edition checklistMatch a used copy to your reading list: edition, format and access codes.
- How to sell your old uni textbooks onlineWhere to sell, how to price and photograph, and postage.
- Best second-hand textbook websites in the UKMarketplaces, buyback services and booksellers compared on fees and payouts.
- What to do with old university textbooksSell, donate or recycle: how to decide for each book.
About Bar books
The vocational stage of training to be a barrister in England and Wales, run by providers such as City, BPP and ULaw and regulated by the Bar Standards Board. The core reading is OUP's City Law School Bar Manuals - £45.99 each new and replaced every two years - plus the practitioner texts used in the centrally set litigation exams.
Bar books hold their value
Finished a paper? Someone is starting it at the next sitting.
- A ready buyer pool
- 2,400+ students a year, and a new cohort registers for every paper at every sitting - your finished books have a buyer waiting.
- Sell while it's valid
- Editions are printed for specific sittings. Current books hold their value now and lose it once superseded - list early.
- Real money back
- The seven current OUP Bar Manuals cost £321.93 together at £45.99 each. Check what your provider includes in the course fee, then buy the rest used.
Bar book questions, answered
Can I use the 2024 Bar Manuals?
For most titles, with care. OUP replaced the 2024 editions with new ones in July 2026, and the 2024 printings are out of print. The skills manuals (Advocacy, Drafting, Opinion Writing, Conference Skills) teach technique that changes slowly, but their examples reflect the law in 2024. Professional Ethics should always be checked against the current BSB Handbook. Your provider's reading list is the final word.
Which Bar Manual editions are current?
The 2026 editions: Advocacy 23rd, Drafting 23rd, Opinion Writing and Case Preparation 9th, Conference Skills 23rd, Remedies 23rd and Professional Ethics 22nd, all published July 2026. Evidence is still on its 21st edition from 2022. The Criminal Litigation and Civil Litigation manuals have been discontinued.
What books do I need for the BSB litigation exams?
The centrally set Civil and Criminal Litigation exams lean on practitioner texts rather than Bar Manuals: candidates may consult the White Book in Civil Litigation Paper 2, and the BSB checks Criminal Litigation questions against Blackstone's Criminal Practice. Several providers include these in the course fee, so check before you buy.
Can I sell my Bar Manuals after the course?
Yes. Around 2,400 students start Bar training each year, and the manuals are sold openly by OUP and booksellers, so finished copies have a ready market - especially in the year they're current. Listing on UniBookTrade is free.