John E. Wills, Jr., University of Southern California, jwills@usc.edu.

This is a first invitation to join in a discussion of an important and still under-studied set of topics. The form itself is an experiment – an outline of a possible summary book, with a paragraph or two of summary and the beginnings of a bibliography for each chapter.

To read this outline, click here

To read a recent summary of some of my approaches, click here

I am not at all clear in my mind as to whether I should try to write the whole book, which would have the advantage of unity of style and approach, or recruit some collaborators who are specialists in various topics. In any case, please send me at the above e-mail address your comments, your advice, and your suggestions for additions to the bibliographies. I will acknowledge and reply to all; add items to the bibliographies, and figure out how best to keep a forum open to discussion and still focussed on the need for coherent summary. This obviously is a project in an early phase, and one that needs all the help it can get. I will be truly grateful for your help and advice.