Editor's Note
This, the first issue of the fifteenth volume of the Journal of the History of Sexuality, includes a new cover look and a new layout of contents. When the Journal of the History of Sexuality was founded in 1990, the study of the history of sexuality was struggling for recognition as a legitimate field of academic endeavor, and, doubtless, the formal look to the cover of the journal reflected that struggle. Likewise, the articles printed in the early years of the Journal of the History of Sexuality often demonstrated the novelty of the field, and many pioneering studies were included in the pages of the first few issues. Fifteen years later, I and the editors at the University of Texas Press wanted a new cover design to represent the vibrancy of the field. Likewise, the new layout of contents reveals how the study of sexuality in history has grown. New studies will continue to form the bulk of the journal, as they have since its inception. In addition, however, we will also regularly publish methodological essays that show the challenges and controversies of the field, following on the success of the special issue "Studying the History of Sexuality: Theory, Methods, Praxis" (volume 14, issues 1 and 2). Likewise, we will also publish important new findings in historical sources for the history of sexuality or studies on sources that should be better known by scholars. These three sections of this and most future issues—"Sources," "Methods," and "Studies"—will ensure that the Journal of the History of Sexuality continues to reflect the growth and sophistication of the field itself. The final change is that the Journal of the History of Sexuality will no longer be published four times a year but rather three times. This change will not mean a reduction in the number of articles or book reviews published annually but will help greatly in production time and costs.
I would very much like to express my gratitude to Raymond Starr, Professor Emeritus of History at San Diego State University, and to Mr. Paul Feldman of Houston, Texas, for their donations toward the operations of the Editorial Office of the Journal of the History of Sexuality on the San Diego State University campus. Please contact me at jhistsex@mail.sdsu.edu if you are interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the operations of the Editorial Office.
