Asia : guide to legal resources: Books

The Law Bod's collection is shelved over four floors. An interest in Asian law may well see you visiting at least three! These floors are connected by both stairs and a lift. Please feel free to ask a member of staff for directions when you visit the Law Bod, but the following is designed to give you a basic understanding.

The Law Bod shelves its collections of printed materials for individual Asian jurisdictions on Level One, one floor below the entrance level.  The arrangement is alphabetical, by the English name of the jurisdiction. If the country is a member of the Commonwealth (the voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific) there will be a Cw at the beginning of the shelf mark, but this does not affect its the position in the alphabetical arrangement  by country name.  There is no further subject arrangement within each jurisdiction's collection, the books are arranged by the last name of the author or editor.

Depth of coverage varies considerably: you may well discover that for some countries the collection has an historic rather than a current emphasis. 

The majority of the Law Library's books are in Western European languages.

On Level 2, the level at which you enter the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning General.
This is where you will find comparative studies, and works surveying the response to legal problems in two or more jurisdictions. 
Sometimes the comparison will be between or among other Asian states, sometimes between one or more Asian states and one or more jurisdictions from elsewhere in the world.

Also on Level 2 is a smaller collection with shelf marks beginning Cw Gen. This has books where all the jurisdictions under comparison are (or were) members of the Commonwealth  (the voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific).

On Level 2, the level at which you enter the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning Jurisp (short for jurisprudence or legal philosophy .  Within this section the books are arranged by the last name of author or editor,.

As the Law Library moves to the Moys Classification Scheme, you may find legal philosophy books with shelf marks beginning KA .
KA titles are probably described on SOLO as being in the Law Reserve Collection. Please ask for these books at the Law Enquiry Desk - and remember to bring your University or Bodleian Reader's card with you, as these heavily used titles are issued to you for use in the Library. You can keep reading them for the rest of day if you like - but we do ask that you return them to the Enquiry Desk as soon as possible after you have finished consulting them. 
KA books not held in the LAw Reserve collection are on Level 2 - but a few shelves away from those with shelf marks beginning Jurisp.

The Enquiry Desk is also on Level 2 - please come and ask if you are having any difficulties finding the books you need.

On Level 3,  one floor above the entrance level to the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning Internat  (short for public international law). These books are further arranged by topic as described below.

Also on Level 3 is an area of the open shelf collection with books with shelf marks beginning Private Int. (This is short for private international law or conflict of laws as it is sometimes called.) In this section books are simply arranged by the last name of the author or editor, not by topic.

Subject arrangement of Internat

The public international law collection on Level 3 is subdivided by broad areas of law. The divisions used are listed alphabetically below, with the corresponding shelf mark alongside. Within each shelf mark the books are next arranged by author/editor.

Air law  Internat 640

Atomic energy  Internat 600

Dependent states and special regimes  Internat 535

Economic law  Internat 590

European Court of Human Rights: literature Internat 575

General and theory Internat 500

History  Internat 510

Human rights  Internat 570

International crimes  Internat 580

International relations  Internat 660

Jurisdiction of states  Internat 560

Law of the sea and waterways  Internat 630

Nationality  Internat 565

Recognition   Internat 545

Servitudes  Internat 550

Social legislation and organisation  Internat 610

Space law  Internat 650

State responsibility  Internat 555

State succession  Internat 540

The state (as a legal entity)  Internat 530

Title to territory  Internat 520

Transport and communications (except sea, air and space)  Internat 620

Treaties (theory etc.)  Internat 670

International organisations History and general  Internat 680

General and regional political organisations Internat 681

League of Nations: general Internat 685

League of Nations: publications (series) Internat 686

United Nations: general  Internat 687

United Nations: publications (series)  Internat 688

Peace and disarmament Internat 700

International disputes and arbitration  General and theory  Internat 710 

Individual arbitration tribunals: literature Internat 740

International courts and tribunals: general Internat 720

Permanent Court of Arbitration: literature  Internat 730

Permanent Court of International Justice and the International Court of Justice: literature  Internat 725

Termination of war (including specific peace treaties)  Internat 760