If you are not understanding civil procedure and want something to clarify the rules or subject matter/personal jurisdiction, this is a good book to start. It provides clear summaries of the rules as well as the policy debates underlying issues raised in procedure. Keep in mind that this is not a law review article, so in essence this book is more aimed at summarizing all the critiques and debates that have gone on before rather than looking at the law from a different angle. But if you want a short read that will get you through the exam, this book is just as about as useful as anything else you might come across. There are professors who base their classes on this book, as well as students who diligently read this book every day to prepare for the socratic questions they can await in class the next day. If you want good grades, though, I think it takes more than reading all these horn books and what not. A lot of it just comes down to the processing and understanding of the material, which can be daunting at times and actually just comes at different times for different people. However much you read these hornbooks, if you don't understand the stuff or can't apply it, it won't actually help you that much.

This book is commonly used by first year students in civil procedure. I have known many students in the past who have found the book helpful in explaining the intricacies of the federal rules. A must read.