In “The Donoghue Diaries: Lord Atkin’s Research Notes in Donoghue v Stevenson” John Kleefeld, a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan, bravely approaches what must be one of the most written about cases in the Commonwealth cannon. How could anyone find something new to say? John embraces the task with his characteristic good humour, creative pen, and careful and meticulous knowledge of the law, legal process, and legal research.

This piece offers us a reconstruction of the diaries of James Richard Atkin, author of one of the Donoghue v Stevenson judgments. Trolling through the 372 carefully annotated footnotes is a pleasure and an exercise in discovering the unknown interstices of the case. In setting out the diaries, John reviews the major cases (carefully working through their doctrinal nuances), alongside the broader political, social, and to a lesser extent economic, context in which the case was decided. He speculates about the court and its personalities.  Great fun for a Friday.