Preface

Summary

Since the launch of Medieval Clothing and Textiles in May 2005 at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, response to the journal has been uniformly enthusiastic, as measured by sales figures, reader feedback, and interest from potential authors. We are gratified at this warm reception, which confirms that the journal is fulfilling a distinct need in the growing field of medieval textile and clothing study.

Volume 2 maintains MCT's emphasis on an international, interdisciplinary approach. The papers range chronologically from the seventh to the seventeenth centuries. Their geographic scope includes England, France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy. They consider evidence of texts in the vernacular languages of all these countries and in Latin, as well as art and artifacts. Subjects include cloth production in the commercial, artistic, and metaphorical senses; fashionable garments and accessories as diverse as Renaissance furs, Hiberno-Viking jewelry, and Elizabethan jackets; the financial implications of extravagant dress; and the practical matter of keeping clothing clean.

The editors are grateful to the members of the editorial board for their prompt and scholarly advice, and to the many other anonymous referees whose generous contributions of time and knowledge are essential to a peer-reviewed journal such as this. Their enthusiastic response to unexpected queries and their wholehearted pursuit of solutions to other people's research problems is greatly appreciated. It has also been encouraging to find contributors to the first volume willingly giving references and advice to contributors to the second. Their interaction has demonstrated the presence of a productive network of truly dedicated scholars.

The editors welcome submissions for future volumes from both experienced scholars and new writers. Potential contributors should initially send a 300-word synopsis to Gale Owen-Crocker at [email protected]. Submissions should be in English and must conform to MC&T's guidelines for authors, available from Robin Netherton at [email protected]. All papers will be peer-reviewed and subject to editing.

Papers read at sessions sponsored by DISTAFF (Discussion, Interpretation, and Study of Textile Arts, Fabrics, and Fashion) at the medieval congresses at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Leeds, England, are automatically considered for publication. Scholars interested in reading a 20-minute paper at one of these sessions should contact Robin Netherton (for the Kalamazoo congress) or Gale Owen-Crocker (for the Leeds congress). Scholars presenting papers on medieval dress and textile topics in other sessions at these conferences, or in other academic venues, are most welcome to contact us to discuss publication possibilities.