ES - Wallace Collection

[GulesBaron at AOL.com]

Received this from an armor laurel in the middle kingdom.  Thought sure that
someone may be interested.
Geoffrey

Subject: 
New Wallace Collection Armour Catalogue
From: 
mike at srmdel.demon.co.uk (Michael Lacy)
To: 
(email addresses of recipients deleted for privacy) 

Greetings Fellow Arms and Armour Enthusiast; 
For those of you who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself. I am
Michael Lacy, a recent graduate of Reading University (PhD., History) and
long time re-enactor (aka. Earl Michael de Lacy, KSCA). I am currently
working as a volunteer at London's prestigious Wallace Collection on a
project that I think may be of interest to you, a new edition of the
Catalogue of the European Weapons and Armour. 
The catalogue, edited by Sir James Mann and last printed in 1962, is in
need of updating, and additional impetus is given to the project by the
fact that the supply of catalogues in the Wallace Collection's storerooms
is nearly exhausted. It is the goal of the Curator, David Edge (co-author
of Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight) to create a new catalogue which
will include material from the 1986 supplement, as well as more recent
discoveries by the conservation staff (including metalographic analysis by
Dr. Alan Williams). It is also intended for the new catalogue to have
photographs of _every_ piece in the collection (the current catalogue only
has photos for a small percentage of the items in the collection) as well
as new photographs of some of the more important pieces that will take into
consideration the sorts of views and angles that armourers need and want
(clean profiles, back views, inside views, overhead angles, etc.). 
Work is also currently under way to place the entirety of the catalogue
on-line. This will be an on-going project, with new entries added as soon
as they are webbed; the first entries should be on the Wallace Collection
web-site within the next couple of months, so you can follow the progress
of the catalogue project on-line. 
The only problem is funding; money for such projects is always in short
supply, and David Edge has found that the museum's publication budget has
been given over to the 'Fine Arts' people, leaving nothing for arms and
armour. 
I have suggested that funds for the printing of the new catalogue could
perhaps be raised by appealing to the many re-enactors, armourers,
collectors and enthusiasts, who would be inclined to purchase the catalogue
and the following plan is being considered; 
A boxed set collector's edition of the catalogue (2 volumes) will be
produced, strictly limited to 250 numbered copies, and available by
subscription only. It is planned to have the catalogues available by the
Summer of 2000, with the subscriptions taken by the end of this year. The
cost of the limited edition will be 200 pounds sterling (about 330 dollars
- A high price, but all for a worthy cause). The sale of these collector's
editions would raise the necessary funding for us to print the new
catalogues. The collector's edition will include several features that
will not be included in the regular edition; some of the ideas being mooted
include; 
- superior binding and paper, possibly the inclusion of several colour plates.
- the inclusion of a CD-ROM version of the catalogue, which will have
additional photos, essays, expanded bibliography and possibly some
quick-time movies of helms and other items from the collection being turned
through 360 degrees on a turntable. 
- a list of subscribers printed in the catalogue. 
- invitations to a special reception at the Wallace Collection for the
launch of the new catalogue, possibly including private gallery tours and
lectures. 

The purpose of this message it to 'test the waters' and conduct an
unofficial poll of arms and armour enthusiasts. If you would be interested
in supporting this important project by purchasing one or more collector's
edition Arms and Armour catalogue for 200 pounds, please e-mail me and let
me know. I will be reporting my findings to David Edge at the end of
March, and if by then I have received an encouraging number of positive
responses, I will contact all of those who have sent me e-mails and
announce the final details of the plan and how orders for the collector's
edition catalogue may be placed. 
+++As the new catalogue project is dependent upon sufficient funds being
raised through the sale of the collector's edition, it is important that
this message get passed on to all and sundry who would be interested, so
please spread the word far and wide.+++ 
I look foreword to hearing from you on this matter, 
Sincerely, 
Michael Lacy
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