A note from the editor.

With this volume, Germano-Slavica enters a new phase of its existence, as an electronic, open-access journal, with a new subtitle and a new ISSN number. Although the change has been a long time in coming, we believe that a small journal such as ours is best served by taking advantage of the present state of technology and communications to reach the largest possible audience without compromising academic standards or the integrity of the review process. In this first volume, content will be added incrementally over the coming year, so that the issue will grow to about a hundred pages. To facilitate this, book reviews are now paginated separately in their own independent section. We look forward to serving a new audience, as well as many of our past readers, and are ready to welcome feedback, comments, and of course submissions.

This issue is the result of the support and cooperation of a good many colleagues. I would like in particular to thank the members of the journal's Editorial Board for their assistance and their patience; and on their behalf, I extend further thanks to my colleagues and friends in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Waterloo, and its chair, James M. Skidmore; to the University of Waterloo Faculty of Arts and its Dean, Ken Coates; to the Arts Computing Office, Associate Dean of Computing Robert Park, and Information Systems Analyst/Database Specialist Sean Speers. Special mention must be made of the committee who helped me lay the groundwork for the change to electronic delivery: my fellow faculty members Zina Gimpelevich and Grit Liebscher, Germanic and Slavic Studies Liason Librarian Helena Calogeridis, and graduate student Bjanka Pokorny. Finally, to our willing reviewers, who must remain anonymous but should not go unacknowledged, many thanks.

Paul M. Malone

Editor