The first edition was edited by R G Logan and published by Butterworths in 1986. It is part of the series, which was then known as ButterworthsGuides to Information Sources. It consists of twenty-three chapters attributed to twenty contributors. The subject-matter of these chapters ranges from the general to the specialized. A book on legal researchdescribesInformation Sources in Law as being "not as useful for present purposes" as the titlepromises. Information Sources in Law is "detailed" and its contributors are "leading experts".