Book excerpt: Volumes V, VI and VII complete the series of selections from the Smuts Papers. They cover the period from August 1919, when Smuts succeeded Botha as prime minister of the Union of South Africa, until his death in September 1950. The selection is divided into six parts, each with a short introduction. All the documents are annotated and those in Dutch or Afrikaans are provided with translations. There are over six hundred biographical notes. Smuts's stature as a world statesman, his intimate concern with the problems of European and Commonwealth politics and his central position in South African affairs place his private papers among the most important collections of their kind. Volume V covers the period from 1919 to 1934 - years of crisis for Smut's 'own child', the League of Nations and, in South Africa, a time which saw confrontations on colour questions and adjustments that led to party fusion.