ESC: English Studies in Canada

MOVING AHEAD In my honours seminar on bibliography and textual criticism we have re­ cently been studying copyright pages and other items that form the prelim­ inary material of a book. Perhaps that is one reason why, in preparing the September issue of ESC, I have been prompted not only to look carefully at what our copyright page contains but also to take this opportunity to highlight some of its content. Those who take an interest in such matters will notice several changes. The first of these have to do with the Editorial Advisory Board. On the one hand, after many years of faithful, and frequent, service, Eva-Marie Kroller and Patricia Merivale have left the Board; to both we owe many thanks. On the other hand, George Elliott Clarke, Jill Matus, Robert Doyle Miles, and Gerry D. Turcotte have accepted our invitation to join. We are, thus, moving on two policies recommended by the Executive of a cc u te earlier this year: that of involving as many distinguished Canadian scholars as possible in ESC by changing the membership of the EAB on a regular basis, and that of encouraging more Canadian academics living abroad to contribute to the journal by appointing a Canadian academic teaching in each of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to serve as an advisor. There have also been developments in regard to the Editorial Staff. Dou­ glas Wurtele, who was eager to stay on as Review Editor, became seriously ill in late June and had to give up this position. Christopher Levenson, who is well known as an editor and poet as well as a reviewer, has now taken over the review section. Alan McLay, the Business Manager of ESC who not only kept the books for many years but also made our endowment fund grow, has also retired. His successor is Robert Lovejoy, the former Chair­ man of the Department. James Steele continues as Managing Editor, but Douglas Campbell and Keith Wilson have stepped aside at least temporarily as Associate Editors. As well, Robert G. Laird has been designated as Elec­ tronic Editor, and Sharon Hamilton, who very ably managed the reviews in recent months, has been named Assistant Editor. For this issue Calum Cunningham and Kristen Schoenhals are the graduate students helping us as Editorial Assistants. These shifts have to do with various matters. One isour decision to involve more students actively—and publicly—in the preparation of the journal with a view to giving them practical experience to complement their theo­ retical knowledge. Another is to position ESC for survival—and growth— in the new millennium by conducting our business as electronically as pos­ sible. So far this decision has involved the acquisition and use of an e-mail account to contact contributors and the setting up ofa List for the members of the Editorial Advisory Board. Beginning in 1999, however, we are asking that articles and reviews be transmitted to us electronically as well as by ordinary mail. In the meantime, we are also beginning to analyse ways to improve the physical appearance of each issue. Not all the moves made this summer can be indicated on the copyright page. One important development is that both the Executive of ACCUTE and the Editorial Advisory Board have now approved the topic for the spe­ cial millennium issue of ESC for the year 2000. This issue on THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF ENGLISH STUDIES IN CANADA, PUB­ LIC POLICY, AND THE PUBLIC GOOD is announced at the end of this editorial. This topic, along with the special issue on the History of the Book planned for 1999, signals our continuing determination to remain a journal of significance and substance. Any journal, even, perhaps especially, a learned one like ESC, cannot live on special issues alone, however. Its bread must be articles and reviews of books about all periods of literature written in English that allow the exploration of this literature in many different ways and, thus, act as a window on all the specialties that comprise English studies by Canadians. Such articles and reviews are being submitted, ofcourse. Those in this issue along with the opinion piece in...