Dean James M. Landis of the Law School issued yesterday a reading list of 90 books, prepared for prospective law students now in the armed forces by Zechariah Chafee, Langdell Professor of Law, and John M. Maguire, professor of Law.

Chosen because they give "a better understanding of the people for whom and by whom our law has been made," the books "show what judges and lawyers can do," according to the introduction of the list. Six of the books were included "to produce an appetite for intellectual work and the solution of difficult problems," and "to acquaint the reader with some world literature which should be familiar to all lawyers."

"We realize that any, books we recommend will have to be read during the brief intervals of hard work and often under the strain of danger and a bad climate," the report explained. "Consequently, we have tried to pick out readable books, which will hold a man's attention from beginning to end."

Nine of the most representative books in the list are as follows: "The Spirit of the Common Law," by Roscoe Pound; "History of England," by George M. Trevelyan; "Pocket History of the United States," by Allan Nevins and Henry S. Commager; "The Republic: Conversations on Fundamentals," by Charles A. Beard;

"A Judge Takes the Stand," by Joseph N. Ullman; "The Nature of the Judicial Process," by Benjamin N. Cardozo; "Free Speech in the United States," by Zechariah Chafee; "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club," by Charles Dickens;

"The Just and the Unjust," by James G. Cozzens.