The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History is looking for someone to write a short (3000-word) entry on the Internet. The deadline is quite soon (Sept. 14). I am not affiliated with them, just passing this along since they asked for help finding qualified authors. Please contact Ashley Winseck directly at the address below if you are interested. Begin forwarded message:

From: Ashley Winseck <ashley@berkshirepublishing.com> Date: August 19, 2009 12:02:17 PM EDT To: abbate@vt.edu Cc: Karen Christensen <karen@berkshirepublishing.com> Subject: FW: Invitation to write for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 2nd Edition

Dear Janet Abbate,

I’m sorry to hear that you are unable to do a piece on “Internet” for us. I’m writing you now, at the suggestion of Karen Christensen, with the hope that you might be able to help us track down a potential author for the second edition of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, that would be able to write a piece on the Internet. If you know anyone qualified to write this article, please let us know.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

All the best, Ashley

Ashley WINSECK Project Coordinator, Berkshire Publishing 120-122 Castle Street Great Barrington, MA 01230 +1 413 528 0206 | Skype: ashleywinseck1 E-mail: ashley@berkshirepublishing.com Website: www.berkshirepublishing.com

-----Original Message----- From: Janet Abbate [mailto:abbate@vt.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 11:01 AM To: Karen Christensen Subject: Re: Invitation to write for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 2nd Edition

Dear Karen Christensen,

Thank you for the invitation to contribute to the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History. Unfortunately I won't be able to produce an article in the near future, as you require. I wish you the best with your project.

Regards, Janet Abbate

On Aug 17, 2009, at 3:30 PM, Karen Christensen wrote:

Dr. Janet Abbate Dept. of Science & Technology in Society Virginia Tech

...

Dear Janet Abbate,

We are writing on the recommendation of our editorial board to

...

to contribute an important new article to the second edition of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, a five-volume work edited by William, H. McNeill, Jerry Bentley, David Christian, et al., about which a review in Booklist remarked, “...the benchmark against which future history encyclopedias are compared....” We are updating and revising the Encyclopedia (from five to six volumes) for publication in the autumn. The changes we’re making include expanded coverage of environmental history, big history, communication and information technologies, and science, and our art section is being improved in many ways thanks to a new editor, Ralph Crozier, who combines expertise in art and world history. The new Encyclopedia of World History aims to emphasize cross-cultural contacts and connections between regions. Authors are asked to focus on these vital, meaningful comparisons. William McNeill continues to be an active senior editor, and David Christian (whose spin-off Berkshire title, the 92-page This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity, is garnering praise), Jerry Bentley, and J.R. McNeill are working with us again, along with other editors and advisers.

We’re on a tight schedule in order to ensure that the volume will be published in Autumn 2009, as we know there are students, teachers, and scholars in a variety of disciplines eager to have this expanded work. I hope to get your confirmation right away so we can send writing guidelines and a contract. http://www.berkshirepublishing.com/brw/pjdescr.asp?projID=86. Here’s what we would like to have you write: 'Internet' 3000 words

Recommended article due date: 14 September, 2009 In addition to the thanks of the editors, publisher, and future readers, and the chance to connect with fellow scholars around the world, contributors will receive professional copyedited and illustrated copies of their own work, and for those who write over a certain amount a full set of

ask you the

...

encyclopedia, either in print or electronically. Berkshire is known for taking on challenging project such as this. In fact, Berkshire has just published the 5-volume Encyclopedia of China, the first major Western reference work on China since Needham’s breathtaking Science and Civilisation series, published by Cambridge University Press.

We are also expanding from the traditional encyclopedia model to include online content and forums, as you'll see from our beta site for another publication, the Encyclopedia of Sustainability, http:// www.indivisibility.org/bp/. As you will guess, these projects are interconnected and we are trying to ensure that each enriches the others. Certainly our work in world and environmental history is enriching publications on China and sustainability.. With best wishes,

With best wishes, Karen Christensen

C.E.O. Berkshire Publishing Tel +1 413 528 0206 | Skype: karenschristensen karen@berkshirepublishing.com Blog: www.berkshirepublishing.com/blog

Dr. Janet Abbate Dept. of Science & Technology in Society Virginia Tech