[Bell Historians] Re: A trawl through the archive

[Andrew Wilby]

Richard is absolutely right.
When I have spent a spell or two in the RW office I have seen a considerable 
amount of technical material that it would have been nice to publish but was 
badly written and unapproachable.

The problem with a purely technical journal is whether there is enough material 
to sustain it in the long term. Yes the first issue will be 16 pages full, the 
next quarter also. then the third quarter comes out late and is only 12 pages. 
then the fourth quarter is even later and lacks much of interest at all. The 
price which was based on optimistic assumptions offers poor value etc etc and 
the whole thing becomes a nightmare for someone. This is the usual pattern.

You might try to negotiate a periodic Bell Historians supplement with RW. That 
could suit everyone.

Andrew


> Who said anything about 'dumbing down'?
>
> It seems to be a common misconception these days that if a factual
> piece has been written in accessible manner it has been dumbed
> down! A really skilled writer can make even the telephone book
> sound interesting! I've read some totally captivating prose in the
> most learned of historical and scientific journals.
>
> R