¹ This also begs the question of la doctrine, the writing of scholars and experts, particularly in the civil law tradition, that constitute a great mass of legal information. Their writing is technically “secondary literature,” but often of equal if not greater suasion than an uncontrolled body of “jurisprudence.” Indeed, as the common law systems become more complex and more oriented to legislation and regulation, we turn, particularly in the Commonwealth, to the major treatises—works at the apex of the structure of secondary literature—for guidance and elucidation.Google Scholar

² The problems of access to legal information in small jurisdictions (i.e., most of the world) are admirably discussed in two seminal works. Both are collections of conference papers edited and written in part by William Twining and Jenny Uglow: Legal Literature in Small Jurisdictions (London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 1981) and Law Publishing and Legal Information: Small Jurisdictions of the British Isles (London: Sweet and Maxwell, 1981). These works can throw a good deal of light on problems besetting law librarians: why is this material not published? why is it not properly distributed and marketed? why is it so expensive?Google Scholar

³ The changes in format, style, title and coverage that the Ward publications have gone through almost defy description. For the most part, they contain in printed form the cataloging records of the major legal research libraries who contribute to the RLIN database. The Ward series are of two types. The first, and least useful for bibliographic purposes, are geared to the selector and collection developer: National Legal Bibliography. Subject Area List v. 1-4 (1984-1987) Buffalo: Willian S. Hein & Co., 1984-1988. These were approximately 24 separate series, each dealing with specific legal topics; for example, “Taxation and Estate Planning,” and “Agriculture, Animal and Food Law.” This collection has now been continued by Recent Titles in Law for the Subject Specialist v. 5 (1988) Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1988, with most of the same specific legal topics treated in separate quarterly pamphlets. These are not cumulated. The second Ward series, all of which have annual cumulations, do have some bibliographic utility, although their precise value may escape many librarians. National Legal Bibliography Annual v. 1-8 (1984-1985) Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1985–1986. Continued by National Legal Bibliography, Part I, Recent Acquisitions of Major Legal Libraries v. 1-12 (1986-1988) Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1987-1989, and National Legal Bibliography, Part II, Government Documents from Official and Commercial Sources v. 1-2 (1986-1988) Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1987-1989. This dual series has now been further (but probably not finally) dispersed as: Catalog of Current Law Titles [Annual] 1989 Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1991, and Catalog of New Foreign and International Law Titles v.1 (1989) Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ward & Associates, etc., 1989–.Google Scholar

⁴ Annual Legal Bibliography v. 1-21. Cambridge: Harvard Law School Library, 1960-1981. (The monthly issues, confusingly, bore the title Current Legal Bibliography.)Google Scholar

⁵ Index to Legal Periodicals 1908–; Chicago, New York, etc.: American Association of Law Libraries, H.W. Wilson Co., 1908– (vols. 1–5, 1908–1913 published by the American Association of Law Libraries); vols. 6–20, 1915–1927 published by the H.W. Wilson Company for the American Association of Law Libraries in conjunction with the Law Library Journal; vols. 1-20 appeared with the Law Library Journal under one cover; Renumbering commenced with vol. i (i.e. Cumulation 1) for 1926/28; published for the American Association of Law Libraries by the H.W. Wilson Co.; v. 15–16, 1967/70–1970/1973 published by the H.W. Wilson Co. in cooperation with the American Association of Law Libraries; vol. 17–published by the H.W. Wilson Co. Volume numbering continues, although the practice of triennial cumulation ceased with vol. 18 for 1976/79. The Index to Legal Periodical Literature, ed. Leonard A. Jones and Frank E. Chipman, v. 1–6, 1888–1937, actually provided retrospective coverage dating back to the 18th century.Google Scholar

⁶ Current Law Index v. 1 (1980)– Belmont, Calif., etc., Information Access Corp., 1980–; Legal Resources Index (microfilm) 1980– Belmont, Calif.: Information Access, 1982–; Legaltrac (CD-ROM) 1980– Belmont, Calif.: Information Access, 1985–.Google Scholar

⁷ A Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law: Books and Articles in English (Charles Szladits, comp. and anno., New York: Oceana Publications, for the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law, 1955–). (The first volume covers 1790–1953; the most recent volumes, for 1984/86, have been compiled and annotated by Vratislav Pechota.)Google Scholar

⁸ Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature 1961/70– Montreal: Canadian Association of Law Libraries, 1972– (This citation subsumes the two volumes edited by Marianne Scott, covering 1963/65 and 1966/69 which were apparently issued as monographs. Later volumes extended the coverage retrospectively to 1961). A second publication that should not be overlooked is Index to Canadian Legal Literature v. 1-3. Toronto: Carswell, 1980 now supplemented in pamphlet and looseleaf format as a separate subseries within Canadian Current Law. The basic volumes are, in effect, cumulations of references to periodical literature published up to to 1980 and have been extrapolated from the Canadian Abridgement. Somehow this index, containing a wealth of information, achieves the same opacity of organization, layout and style as its parent publication. The compilers have provided a “subject key” to the peculiarly classed/alphabetic arrangement that appears particularly unhelpful, especially when compared to the straightforward approach of the (perhaps less comprehensive) Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature.Google Scholar

⁹ Current Australian and New Zealand Legal Literature Index. Comp. by Gwenda Fisher 1973– Sydney: The Law Book Company, 1973–.Google Scholar

¹⁰ Legal Journals Index. C. Miskin & N. Smith., eds., v. 1 (1986)– Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: Legal Information Resources, Ltd., 1986–.Google Scholar

¹¹ Index to Commonwealth Legal Periodicals. Comp. and ed. by C.L. Wiktor. 1974– Dalhousie, Toronto, etc.: Dalhousie Law School, Carswell, etc., 1974-. This originally appeared in a monthly format as Current Index to Commonwealth Legal Periodicals with periodic annual or triannual cumulations. The last volume sighted has been for 1978/81 published in 1982. The title is not carried in the current Carswell catalog.Google Scholar

¹² Index to Indian Legal Periodical Literature v.1 (1963)– New Delhi: Indian Law Institute, 1963–.Google Scholar

¹³ Karlsruher juristische Bibliographie 1965– München: Beck, 1965– Monthly, with annual author and subject index cumulation. The practice of quinquennial author/subject cumulations appears to have been abandoned.Google Scholar

¹⁴ Deutsche Rechtsbibliographie 1982– Baden-Baden: Nomos (Gesellschaft für Rechtsvergleichuung) 1984-.Google Scholar

¹⁵ Bibliographie en langue française d'histoire de droit v.1 (1957) – Paris: Université de Paris XII, etc., 1957-.Google Scholar

¹⁶ Grandin's Bibliographie générale des sciences juridiques, politiques, économiques et sociales. Paris: Sirey, 1926–1951, actually included only books from 1800 to 1950 and has now expired.Google Scholar

This coverage has been picked up by Livres français de droit, sciences politiques, économiques et sociales 1966/69– Paris: S.P.E.L.D., 1970– Now supplemented by a quarterly bulletin, S.P.E.L.D.-Information. 1981-.Google Scholar

¹⁷ Revue bibliographique des ouvrages de droit, de jurisprudence, d'économie politique … vol. 1-76 (1894-1980) Paris: Librairie générale de droit et de jurisprudence, 1894-1980.Google Scholar

¹⁸ Bibliographie juridique générale. 1986– Paris: Dalloz, 1987–.Google Scholar

¹⁹ Documentation juridique étrangère. 1949-1984, Bruxelle: Service d'Etudes et de Documentation, etc., 1949-1984. This is now continued by Documentation juridique internationale.Google Scholar

²⁰ Reper: Repertoire informatisé de la doctrine juridique dans les revues belges et étrangères. 1. année (1986/87)– Bruxelles: E. Story-Scientia, 1986-.Google Scholar

²¹ Data juridica Jaarg. 1 (1973)– Deventer: Kluwer, 1973 -; Another publication, Klapper op de rechtspraak en de rechtsliteratuur v. 1 (1952)– Zwolle: Tjeenk Willink, 1952 is essentially a source for analyses of jurisprudence, but it contains an annual subject index to articles and reviews in journals.Google Scholar

²² Dizionario Bibliográfico della riviste giuridiche italiane. Ed. V. Napolitano, v. 1 (1957)– Milano: Giuffrè, 1964–.Google Scholar

²³ In 1966 this problem was viewed rather helplessly by some 20 legal scholars replying to a questionnaire on the volume of publication. They “… denied that it served any useful purpose” and the “Broad consensus … was that the influence of Italian periodical literature in the development of law, with a few exceptions, is negligible.” A Grisoli “Enquiry into periodical publications devoted to legal subjects and problems in Italy.” Rapports généraux au VIIe Congrés de Droit Compare, Uppsala, 1966. Stockholm, 1966 at Pp. 669–671. A full report on this questionnaire is found in A. Grisoli. La proliferazione delle riviste giuridiche in Italia dopo il 1945. Milano: Giuffrè, 1966.Google Scholar

²⁴ Summa jus 1980– Zürich: Juris, 1981–.Google Scholar

²⁵ Bibliographic des schweizerischen Rechts-Bibliographie juridique suisse 1970– Basel: Helbing and Liechtenhahn, 1970– (This appears annually as an unnumbered supplement to the Zeitschrift für schweizerisches Recht.)Google Scholar

²⁶ Schweizer Rechtsbibliographie-Bibliographie juridique suisse-Bibliografia giuridica svizzera. Hrsg. C. Hardy. Zurich: Juris-Verlag, 1965-.Google Scholar

²⁷ Bibliografía jurídica española. 1956– Madrid: Universidad Complutense, Facultad de Derecho, 1957-; Another index appears as a subseries of the overall Spanish periodical indexing effort: Cuadernos de bibliografía española de articulos de revistias: Serie A, Derecho, no.1 (1974)– Madrid: Instituto Bibliográfico Española, 1974–.Google Scholar

²⁸ Svensk juridisk litteratur v. [1] 1865/1956– Stockholm: Norstedt, 1957– (now up to 1986, the volumes have been compiled variously by Nils Regner, Hans Regner and Goran Regner); Dansk juridisk bibliographi v. [1] 1950/1971– Kobenhavn, Jurist Forbundets Forlag, 1973– (now up to a cumulation for 1981/84; Bibliographia iuridica fennica 1982– Helsinki: Eduskunnan kirjasto, 1982–) (An earlier 5 volume work, Suomen lainopillinen kyrjallisuus–Finlands juridiska litteratur. Helsinki, 1951-1985 covers the period 1809–1981.Google Scholar

²⁹ Bibliographie: Staat und Recht. 1962– Potsdam-Babelsberg: Akademie fur Staats- und Rechtswissenschaft, 1962-.Google Scholar

³⁰ Novinky literatury, stát a právo. no. 1 (1971)– Praha: Statni Knihova CSSR, 1971– The most comprehensive current Hungarian index is A Magyar dllam-és jogtudomdni irodalom bibliografia. no. 1 (1980)– Budapest: Orszássyülési Kónyvtár, 1980–; A “Hungarian legal bibliography” appearing in an English language format has been published in Acta juridica since 1962; another publication is issued in monographic form, compiled by Lajos Nagy, Allam es jogtudomdny bibliográfia—Bibliographia iuridica hungarica [1945/51]– Budapest: Kgazdasási és Jogi Kónyvkiadó, 1958–. (This is somewhat behind in its publication schedule, the volume covering 1984-86 is due to be published in 1992; Dokumentáciös szemle appeared as an annual supplement to Jogtudómanyi Közlöny 1957-1983.)Google Scholar

³¹ Polska bibliografia prawnicza. v.1 (1944/59)– Warszawa: PWN, 1962– (This is the annual cumulation with French titles, a monthly version appears more timely in Panstwo i prawo.)Google Scholar

³² Aufsatzdokumentation zur Privatrechtsvergleichung, Privatrechtsvereinheitlichung sowie zum internationalen Privatrecht und ausländischen Privatrecht. 1968/72– 1979. Tübingen: Mohr, 1973-1980.Google Scholar

³³ Public International Law: A Current Bibliography of Books and Articles, v.1 (1975)– Berlin: Springer, 1975.Google Scholar

³⁴ Monthly Bibliography; Part II: Selected Articles, v.1 (1928)– Geneva: United Nations Library, 1928– The New York U.N. also publishes its own version, Current Bibliographical Information no. 1 (1965)– New York: Dag Hammarskjold Library, 1965–.Google Scholar

³⁵ Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals. 1960– Berkeley, etc.: University of California Press, etc., 1960-.Google Scholar

³⁶ Abkürzungsverzeichnis der Rechtssprache. 2nd ed., Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co., 1968–.Google Scholar