Official New York Law Reports Style Manual–the "Tanbook"
Since 1956, the Law Reporting Bureau has published the Official New York Law Reports Style Manual—affectionately known as the “Tanbook”—for preparing opinions for publication in the Official Reports. It covers five primary areas of style: citation, abbreviation, capitalization, quotation, and word usage.
The most basic rules of Tanbook citation style are covered in the New York Law Journal article, The Case for Official New York Tanbook Citations (PDF) by Thomas J.K. Smith and Hon. Gerald Lebovits.
How to Get a Copy
The current version of the Tanbook (2022 with 2024 update) is available here in HTML and Adobe PDF. The HTML version of the 2022 Style Manual is fully hyperlinked and includes online search capabilities. The PDF version of the 2022 Style Manual (PDF) may be viewed online or downloaded. For information about obtaining a print copy, please contact the Law Reporting Bureau by email at [email protected] or by phone at (518) 453-6900.
NOTE: You'll need Adobe Acrobat ReaderTM to read the PDF version of the Style Manual. To obtain a free copy, click on the "Get Acrobat Reader" button.
