Research Guide to League of Nations Documents and Publications

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Table 5. Sales number, 1926 - 1946
symbol elements year.Roman numeral.number
For example, 1940.VII.1
1st element year of publication
2nd element Roman numeral for subject category (Please refer to Table 6. This is the precursor to the UN sales category system.)
3rd element Arabic numeral, identified publications within a subject category
began each year with 1
distribution publications sold to the public
location of symbol on documents often printed in a box with the heading "Series of League of Nations Publications"

on the lower right hand corner title page or,

on the verso of the title page in books published by the World Peace Foundation

an example The publication High Commissioner of the League of Nations at Danzig (Carl Burckhart). Report Dated March 19, 1940. C.42.M.38.1940.VII received the sales number 1940.VII.1

Table 6. Roman Numerals Used In Official and Sales Numbers
Roman numeral Name of section of League Secretariat, and subject category
I.A Administrative Commission
I.B Protection of Minorities
II Economic and Financial Section
III Health
IV Social Questions (for example, the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Women and the Protection of Children)
V Legal Section
VI.A Mandates
VI.B Slavery
VII Political Section
VIII Communications and Transit
IX Disarmament
X Financial Administration of the League
XI Traffic in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs
(documents were prepared by Social Questions, but assigned the category of XI)
XII.A Intellectual Cooperation
XII.B International Bureaus
XIII Refugees
examples
Official number on documents produced from 1921 - 1947, for example, C.658(1).M.269(1).1931.IX

Sales number, for example, 1932.IX.17

These are the official and sales numbers assigned to a work in Category IX, General Convention to Improve the Means of Preventing War. In 1931 this document was the 658th item distributed to Council members and the 269th item distributed to members of the League who were not members of the Council. It was published for sale to the public in 1932.