OUTBREAK of the WORLD WAR (in 1914) GERMAN DOCUMENTS collected by Karl Kautsky

  
Outbreak of the World War. German Documents collected by Karl Kautsky. Max Montgelas and Walther Schücking.

Translated by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Division of International Law. This is the 1924 First English Edition. Further images of this book are shown below. Publisher and place of publication.

Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch). New York: Oxford University Press, 1924. 6½ inches wide x 9¾ inches tall. Original blind-ruled red cloth blocked in gilt on the spine.

The covers are rubbed, heavily in places, with large discoloured areas on the rear cover (and a much smaller discoloured area on the front cover). There is a small stain and some scuff marks on the front cover and a narrow patch of colour loss along the top edge. The colour loss on the rear cover is far more extensive: panels down the edge and adjacent to the spine gutter, and a large section of approximately one-quarter of the lower half (please see the image below).

The spine has faded and is dull; there is a small hole in the front spine gutter near the head and a half-inch horizontal split in the spine (just under the "SKY" in "KAUTSKY"). The spine ends and corners are bumped and frayed, with splits in the cloth, the most noticeable being at the head and tail of the spine (there is a small jagged tear at the tail). The inner hinges are tender due to the volume's size and weight.

There is a previous owner's name inscribed in ink on the front pastedown. The end-papers are foxed, browned and discoloured. The text is generally clean throughout, on markedly tanned paper (please see the images below). The edge of the text block is dust-stained and grubby. Internally, this First English Edition is generally clean though on significantly tanned paper, in bumped and discoloured covers, with some damage to the spine ends.

NONE : No illustrations are called for. The volume comprises an Introductory Note, Preliminary Remarks, 829 Documents and a number of Supplements. [Unfortunately I can't provide a detailed Table of Contents, which I usually do, as the Table of Contents in this volume runs to forty pages]. The packed weight is approximately 1500 grams.

Since the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published, in 1916, two volumes of Diplomatic Documents relating to the Outbreak of the European War, a number of additional German documents have appeared which throw considerable light upon the outbreak of the war and its termination. Adhering to its belief that the publication of such documents is of service in the proper appraisement of the causes of the war and of the diplomatic maneuvers which were made to end it, the Endowment published in 1923 two volumes of a series of official German documents relating to the World War. The present volume is a translation into English of the four volumes of German Documents relating to the Outbreak of the War which were collected and assembled by Karl Kautsky, edited by Count Max Montgelas and Professor Walther Schucking and published at Charlottenburg in November, 1919-the collection familiarly Known as the Kautsky Documents.

In view of the importance of and general interest in these particular documents, and of the fact that they form a complete unit in themselves, it has seemed advisable not to incorporate them in the above-mentioned series of Official German Documents, but, rather, to issue them in a single volume disconnected from all other German documents. The German editors of the original volumes have explained very fully in their Preliminary Remarks the purpose and scope of the documents, the method of editing, etc. Therefore comment here upon these matters is unnecessary except where it relates solely to this print.

The translation of these documents was rendered very difficult by the mass of notes, cross-references, quotations and citations, which the translators endeavored to put into identical English wherever possible. As a large proportion of the notes refer to words and phrases and to alterations made during the course of construction of individual documents at the Berlin Foreign Office, or elsewhere, great care has also been taken to have these words and phrases fit as appropriately in the English as they do in the German. Where English documents in the original are followed by a German translation, the English text as given by the German editors has been retained and the German text disregarded; where French documents in the original are followed by a German translation, the French text as given by the German editors has been used as the basis of the English translation. However, in the case of French excerpts in German documents, it has seemed advisable to include the French as well as the English translation.

In the several cases of English documents emanating from the Kaiser and German officials, great care has been taken to reproduce them with all the idiosyncrasies of grammar which appear in the original text. Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour.

To estimate the "packed weight" each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material. All books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer. Packed weight of this item : approximately 1500 grams.

I can also accept a cheque in GBP [British Pounds Sterling] but only if drawn on a major British bank. Regretfully, due to extremely high conversion charges, I CANNOT accept foreign currency : all payments must be made in GBP [British Pounds Sterling]. (please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing). Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height.

Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being'cloth' when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth. Fine Books for Fine Minds.

For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. Please also view my other listings. For a range of interesting books and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information.