This might be more a question for the medievalists (both history and lit) out there, but I'm interested in Women's and Gender Studies and Renaissance stuff as well.
Here's the situation - for various reasons (including having already bought my computer and already applying for extra travel funding), even including the two conferences I'd like to attend this year, I'm looking at having a nice chunk of my start-up funds left at the end of this academic year (any research trip to the UK this summer would be part of next year's funds). And it's "use it or lose it," folks! This means I can buy books and lots of them - my microfilm stash is already pretty good on the stuff for my book. So, my question is, if you had an extra $1300, what seminal medieval (or W&G or EM) books would you get? It has to be work-related, of course, or I won't be re-imbursed. I've already got a list going (including *finally* getting Book Production and Publishing in Britain!), but many of those texts are pretty specific.
Anyway, I'm just curious about what you'd buy - including theory, criticism, and primary texts! Once I get close to May, I'll start trolling the publishers' websites to see what's what...
Ready, set, go!
15 comments:
Dictionaries! And big expensive editions I'd never buy for myself, or only reluctantly.
And anything you get tired of walking to the library for in nasty weather :)
Hmmm...dictionaries....I'm definitely going to get copies of the Religious and Secular lyrics of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries - you know those old Oxford (I think) editions by Carleton Brown? I'm sure I'll be buying lots of stuff used!
Yeah, though it's not a sexy answer, Tiruncula's right. Reference works, facsimile editions, etc. All those expensive workhorse volumes that we wish our libraries had more of.
woah, you are a lucky girl! I'd buy Kathleen Scott's 2 vol. Gothic Art book since I love it but it's too spendy for me to actually ever afford. I'd also buy a Cappelli just to have one and some general art history books that I've been wanting for reference!!!
Ooh, yes, in addition to art books (mmm pretty) are there any good medieval multimedia things out there? Any CDs or stuff? I know we've passed the age of the scholarly CD-Rom and now everything's being digitized and put on line, but maybe there's something cool. Or video ---- is it totally declasse to bring in a dvd touring ruins in Wales or tarns or whatnot?
There's so much women and gender stuff I don't even know where to start. But it sounds like you'll have lots of fun!
Yeah, so much. but here's the first batch that pops into my head on the W and gender front: The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Literary Theory - I think it's really good. Butler's Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter. Audre Lorde's essay collection Sister Outsider. Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La frontera. Donna Haraway's Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. Iris Marion Young's Throwing Like a Girl and Other Essays.
And I'll stop there...!
That is *so* excellent, by the way...
Great question and a real luxury problem!
I'm thinking of the research of the Dutch/Chinese Orlanda Lie: she looks at the way women are involved in medieval science; as subject and as researchers themselves. Unfortunately her research is only published in articles!
Original-language primary sources!!!!
There are so many of these that I covet: the books I had out for 5 years in grad school, that cost a hundred dollars or two and can't be found in most libraries. Especially the non-English/Middle English stuff, which is SO much harder to find.
I completely agree about dictionaries. Latham's whatever-it's-called is a good one for late medieval England. Also the Record Interpreter (forget who it's by), if you're going to be doing ms stuff (I think it's better than Capelli for English stuff, though that may not be relevant for you). And all the wonderful reprints of EETS stuff, if you can get hold of them (or used, too) - I now own a ridiculous number of old brown hardback books edited in the 19th c. There are also some great NOVA DVDs that are fun for teaching (especially for that point in the semester when you and students need a break), but they may be more useful to historians than lit people (e.g. the DVD on trebuchets. Students love trebuchets, it shows them how much technology/material was involved for medieval people, and it fulfills my military history obligation. However, it may not be relevant for you).
I confess though that I'd urge spending on specific stuff, the stuff you're going to want to go over and over again for your research - those are the things I find I use most.
(I'm excited about Book Production and Publishing in Britain, too! I have huge chunks of it photocopied already, but would like the whole thing.)new
You are so lucky to have THAT problem! I'd buy the entire New Cambridge Medieval History series. Also source texts in my field...and tuition and expenses at an intensive Latin course. buy the primary sources you use the most, so that you have them at hand. Buy a Niermeyer medieval Latin set. All of the other suggestions are great...just tailor it to you!
Do you do archival work? If the archives you work in allow you to take digital photos, then I would suggest you treat yourself to a higher-quality digital camera than you'd be able to afford on your own, with as many megapixels as you can get.
And, since you've identified as new on the TT, I'd save the last $12 of your start-up funds to buy William Germano's "From Dissertation to Book."
As for the rest, it depends if you want research or teaching reference. For teaching reference, Routledge has a new series of medieval encyclopedias out, including one on Women. For research/personal interest, I'd suggest thinking of some of those presses that you'd never normally buy from because they're too expensive (Cambridge, Oxford, Brill) and go through their New Pubs and Critical Backlist.
And, of course, your own copy of Lewis & Short, if you don't have it already.
MW, you've given your colleagues a great deal of fun with your request.
Can't do better than you've already heard without you narrowing it down, and maybe not even then.
Once again, thanks so much for your thoughts - I'm always so interested to hear what other people consider to be "luxuries" and "necessities". Steve and Notorious Ph.D., thanks for coming by and chiming in! I like the idea of trolling the new releases of the big presses - I'm pissed off that I bought the Oxford "Middle English" (Paul Strohm's) at K'zoo - I should have saved that chunk of change and bought it with start-up moola! Live and learn... ;)
Yes, well... the other idea is to spend your startup funds on books for us. I've got a list I could send you, if you're interested?
Have you started shopping yet? Can't wait to hear what you bought!
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