Opening hours for our libraries and Library Chat have been adjusted over the Easter holidays. Please check our library opening hours page before you visit.
Public International Law is composed of the laws, rules, and principles of general application that deal with the conduct of nation states and international organisations among themselves as well as the relationships between nation states and international organisations with persons, whether natural or juridical. Public International Law is sometimes called the "law of nations" or just simply International Law. It should not be confused with Private International Law, which is primarily concerned with the resolution of conflict of national laws, determining the law of which country is applicable to specific situations.
The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (UniMelb staff & student access) is a comprehensive online resource containing over 1600 scholarly articles on every aspect of public international law.
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: OUP, 3rd ed, 2009
Parry & Grant brings together terminology and descriptive information on international law. Its alphabetical arrangement offer concise but substantial information on essentials of international law such as: Legal terms as used in international law; Significant doctrines; Prominent cases, decisions and arbitration; Important incidents; Judicial and literary figures; Treaties and conventions; Organizations and institutions; and Acronyms. This is available in both print and as an e-book.
Oxford Bibliographies - International Law (UniMelb staff & student access) provides concise and authoritative scholarly commentary and bibliographical guidance on many international law topics, arranged alphabetically. More on the topics included.
Books on this topic are shelved at KC 86 and KC 334.1 on Level 5 of the Law Library. Also check the catalogue for E-books.
Books that usefully compare many countries include:
See also:
See also:
Alter, Karen J, 'National Perspectives on International Constitutional Review: Diverging Optics' in Erin Delaney and Rosalind Dixon (eds) Comparative Judicial Review (Edward Elgar, 2018) Chapter available on SSRN (open access)
This collection is an invaluable collection of legal treatises, historical records and works from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Providing broad coverage, the collection enables detailed research on centuries of major events of legal history, from public policy and taxation to contract law, sustainable development concerns, and issues of war and peace.
The History of International Law collection on HEIN Online includes more than 800 full text publications dating back to 1690 on International Law subjects such as War & Peace, the Nuremberg Trials, Law of the Sea, International Arbitration, Hague Conferences and Conventions.
The History of International Law Timeline (open access from Oxford Academic) is a concise map of 'the broad history of public international law with particular attention paid to the signing of major treaties, the foundation of fundamental institutions, the birth of major figures in international law and milestones in the development of some of the field’s best-known doctrines'. The timeline begins with the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.
Oxford University Press has compiled a useful reading list of open access book chapters on the History and Theory of International Law.
See also
Public International Law Guide by Vicenç Feliú - from Globalex
Columbia University Guide to Researching International Law
In the process of being updated
International Legal Research Tutorial
This step by step tutorial is from Duke University.