Formed collection
Coedes collection (Indo-China)
In 1970 the National Library acquired the collection of Professor Georges Coedes (1886-1970), former Director of L'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, who had spent thirty-five years in French Indochina.
The collection consists of some 6,000 items, including books, serials, maps and manuscripts. It is extremely strong in French publications on the former territories of Indochina (now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) in the period since 1945. Amongst the monographs there are titles on philosophy, art, sociology, archaeology, religion and ethnography. There are dictionaries and grammars of languages in the region. There are also some rare publications from the nineteenth century.
The Manuscript Section holds the Coedes papers, correspondence especially relating to his membership of the Institut de France, and typed material on literary figures.
An article by Ann Nugent profiling the work and influence of George Coedes appears in the January 1996 issue of National Library of Australia News.
