This is intended to be a practical handbook on the Hague Convention of 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters. It is in loose-leaf form and will presumably be updated (though there is no specific statement to this effect). It appears to have been made up of photocopies of typewritten or printed documents. Its origin lies in a meeting in 1977 of the Special Commission of Experts to discuss the operation of the Convention: they suggested that such a practical guide would be most useful. The book was therefore prepared by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law in close co-operation with the Member States.

The handbook consists of the text of the Convention, a list of States parties to it, some useful practical notes on the Convention, relevant information from each of the States parties (for example, the name and address of the central authority and the date when it entered into force), information on other channels of transmission (for example, by diplomatic means or by post), details of declarations made under the Convention by the various States parties and a bibliography of books and articles on the Convention. This last reveals how little has been written on it in England, compared with some of the other countries which are parties to it.

The Convention entered into force in the United Kingdom in 1969 and also applies in the other EEC countries (except for Ireland and Greece). It applies as well to a number of non-European countries, including the United States and Japan. Its provisions are therefore applicable whenever it is wished to effect service on anyone in one of these countries. This handbook should prove very valuable to any solicitor’s office which is concerned with these matters, provided it is kept up to date.