Editor's Fence

Editor's Fence Thinking About Age 35: A friend of mine says age 35 is the prime of life. By sheer chance he is 35. Other friends who come from the viewpoints of a little less or a lot more challenge this notion about choice age. Then, too, there is my friend who practices the veterinary's trade. She puts the dispute in rather different terms, saying that by her calculation age 35 is actually 235. I fear agreement on this dicey question will always be lacking. Perhaps we can agree on this. It is something of an achievement when an academic journal reaches its 35th year of publication. The occasion deserves notice. It also merits an expression of renewed energy. Such an expression is intended by the new design for the cover. We'd like to think that the care and many hours of hard work that went into its creation reaffirm our commitment to the Transition period, that it conveys a sense of the rich diversity of the authors ELT considers. Beneath the bold masthead of the front cover is Joseph Conrad, who seems to gesture, "Give me the map there!" Moving from him clockwise: Ford Madox Ford, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, and H. G. Wells. This gathering of allies and rivals continues on the back cover with Conan Doyle, hunkered over his magnifying glass. Moving clockwise: E. M. Forster, George Gissing, Olive Schreiner, Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, George Moore, and Walter Pater. William Butler Yeats is at the door, his celebrated friend at hand. And who gazes over the transom? Lawrence, Woolf, and Joyce. Wouldn't you know it. Rebecca Lasley created this imaginative colloquy of ELT authors in caricature. Her art, patience, and devotion to engaging detail is truly appreciated. Thanks also to Janet Stites who assisted in preparing the repros, initially typed in WordPerfect, later transferred into Ventura Publisher, and printed on ELT Press's new high-resolution laser printer. The cover's display type is Trump Medieval. For text we continue to use the eminently readable Century Schoolbook, originally designed for Century Magazine (1881-1930) by L. B. Benton and Theodore Lowe De Vinne. The ten point text on a 27—pica line effects a page that "colors out" handsomely, as a typophile might say: generous margins, judicious hyphenation, and ample leading for comfortable reading. From its founding at Purdue University in 1957 to this day, ELT remains what can only be termed a community effort. It owes its longevity and international circulation to so many people: the members EDITOR'S FENCE of the Advisory Board who share their expertise; the graduate students who give their precious enthusiasm; the scholars who write the good articles and compile the useful bibliographies; the reviewers who take time from their own work to offer knowledgeable critiques that help keep us current with the increasing volume of scholarship; and certainly those of you who read, comment on, and continue to support the journal. A sincere thanks to you all. Coming from ELT: In October we will publish Index III (1983-1992). It should prove an important tool for research. Since the last index appeared a decade ago, ELT has published more than 160 articles and well over 500 book reviews. Order Index III before May and receive a discount. For details, see the ad opposite this page. Coming from ELT Press: ELT Press publishes two new books in 1992. Ian Small's Oscar Wilde: New Materials and Methods of Research prints previously unpublished letters to and from Wilde. Also coming this year is The Selected Prose of John Gray, edited by Jerusha Hull McCormack. This volume makes an excellent companion to Ian Fletcher's The Poems of John Gray. For details on these books, see the ads that face the articles first in the queue in this issue and in 35:2. For a listing of ELT Press books, see the ad opposite the opening page of the book review section in this issue. Subscribers to £JLTreceive a 10% discount on all our books. ♦ Announcements ♦ Call for Papers: Richard Aldington Centennial Celebration, Montpellier , France, 5-8 July 1992. Suggested topics: Aldington's novels; his poetry, biographies and translations...