Peace Conference Handbooks

[Dust Jacket Collector]

From time to time I come across the odd copy of one of the above series. I know they were prepared in 1919 for delegates to the forthcoming Peace Conference & were subsequently printed in 1920 for sale to the public. I believe there were around 160 separate volumes but does anyone know if there is any definitive listing of which works actually made up this series? Having completed my collection of Official Histories I need a new challenge!

[MaureenE]

The 1920 reprints either included, or were in 25 Volumes. The following details are from the National Library of Australia catalogue.

 

v. 1. Austria-Hungary (I), no. 1-7. v. 2. Austria-Hungary (II), no. 8-14. v. 3. The Balkan states (I), no. 15-18. v. 4. The Balkan states (II), no. 19-23. v. 5. The Netherlands, no. 25-29. v. 6. France, Italy, Spain, etc., no. 30-31; 33-36. v. 7. Germany, no. 37-42. v. 8. Poland and Finland, no. 43-48. v. 9. The Russian Empire, no. 50-56. v. 10. Mohammedanism; Turkey in Asia (I), no. 57-60; 162. v. 11. Turkey in Asia (II), no. 61-66. v. 12. China, Japan, Siam, no. 67-74. v. 13. Persian Gulf; French and Portuguese possessions [in Asia], no. 76-81. v. 14. Dutch and British possessions [in Asia], no. 82-88. v. 15. Partition of Africa; British possessions [in Africa] (I), no. 89-95. v. 16. British possessions [in Africa], II; The Congo, no. 96-99. v. 17. French possessions [in Africa], no. 100-109. v. 18. German possessions [in Africa] , no. 110-114. v. 19. Portuguese possessions [in Africa], no. 115-121. v. 20. Spanish and Italian possessions [in Africa]; Independent states [in Africa], no. 122-130. v. 21. North, Central and South America; Atlantic Islands, no. 131-138. v. 22. Pacific Islands, no. 139-147. v. 23. International affairs, no. 148-152. v. 24. Congresses; German Opinion, no. 153-157. v. 25. Indemnities, Plebiscites, etc., no. 158-161. "162 geographical and political handbooks reprinted (some with revisions) and bound into 25 volumes on the basis of region or subject. Original handbook nos. 24, 32, 49, 72 and 75 not reprinted as part of this set" The above 25 Volumes are available on HathiTrust Digital Library full view, so you can see the contents of each volume. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006663269   It is not clear to me whether separate volumes were also published in 1920, and whether the Library of Congress digital editions,  posted by Alan, which seem to be dated 1920 which are  displayed separately, are in fact separate volumes, or whether they have been split up from the 25 Volumes. Maureen Edit: This Library of Congress link gives 153 digitised editions https://www.loc.gov/collections/world-digital-library/?q=Great+Britain.+Foreign+Office.+Historical+Section&fa=partof%3A1919+paris+peace+conference+handbooks&sb=title_s

Edited 4 October , 2022 by MaureenE

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Thanks so much, Alan & Maureen. Plenty of material there to keep me busy for some time. I may come to regret this!

[MaureenE]

Catalogue reference at the National Archives Kew FO 373   Foreign Office: Peace Conference of 1919 to 1920: Handbooks

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C7687

"This series contains handbooks relating to the Peace Conference, 1919 to 1920. They were prepared by the Historical Section of the Foreign Office for the use of officials attending the conference. They were subsequently issued to the public in a modified form".

Maureen

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I’m in awe of what must have been a prodigious undertaking. To produce over 160 such booklets in a couple of years is truly remarkable. Thanks for the further links. I’ll try and produce my own list and eventually post it here.