Papers of Nicholas Hans (1888-1969)

Drafts of published works and manuscripts of unpublished essays and other writings; notebooks, including from his time at the University of Odessa, 1907-1912; correspondence, 1925-1969; personalia, including certificates and letters of reference an appointment, 1906-1969; papers relating to his position during the Russian Revolution of 1917; papers relating to teaching, 1948-1966; conference papers, 1936-1966; some collected papers by colleagues.

Nicholas Hans (1888-1969) was born in Russia and studied, and later lectured, in the Faculty of Philology at the University of Odessa during the turbulent decades following 1905. He participated in political life in Odessa during and after the 1917 Revolution, serving as a member of the City Council from 1918. In 1920 Hans left Russia for England and took up studies in the Department of Education, King's College, London. In the 1920s he began to work on the Year Book of Education, continuing this work until the outbreak of the Second World War. During the War he worked as a civil servant in the Censorship Department of the Ministry of Information. In 1946 he was appointed as lecturer at King's College, becoming a Reader in Comparative Education in 1948. During this time he collaborated with Joseph Lauwerys at the Institute of Education in supervising higher degree students and arranging overseas trips, and he continued these activities after his retirement in 1953. He wrote and published on a wide range of topics, including comparative education, educational policy in Russia, and the history of Russian and eighteenth century education.

The collection was arranged and listed by Tom Inman in 1975 and what appears here is his list with a few very minor amendments. His arrangement and referencing system have been retained intact. He divided the collection into two main main parts, the first consisting of those papers written by Hans (Sections 1-3) and the second including those from other provenances (Sections 4-10). Within the different sections the papers were arranged either chronologically or by subject. Tom Inman also wrote, 'Part of the collection, consisting mainly of disordered fragments of drafts and of rough notes, required considerable rearrangement. As many of these papers as possible have been returned to what appeared to be their original order. A proportion of them, however, defied reorganisation and were therefore included in the folders of miscellaneous and fragmentary material which appear at the end of some of the sections.'

There have been two later additions to the Hans Papers as detailed below:

Further material relating to the Hans collection found in the library during cataloguing work on the Hans book collection March 2012. Includes correspondence, photographs and publications.

Materials found inside a copy of 'The Graces: a classical allegory' (1923) owned by Hans. Includes photographs (of Hans, family and friends) and postcards.

These later additions have been added where they fit in with the structure of the existing catalogue (2016).

Open

Open, subject to signature of Reader Application Form.

A reader wishing to publish any quotation of information, including pictorial, derived from any archive material must apply in writing for prior permission from the Archivist or other appropriate person(s) as indicated by the Archivist. A limited number of photocopies may be supplied at the discretion of the Archivist.

A number of unpublished items, in ts, are bound with published articles in the volume Essays on Comparative Education. They have therefore been listed in the catalologue of printed books, under NH's name.