Essays on Writing and Language in Honor - Sino-Platonic Papers

Sino-Plutonic Papers, 27 (August 3 1, 199 1)
Because John &Francis is who he is and so many people have been touched by
him, editing this volume was no chore at all. Such an outpouring of cooperation is rare in
academia. I only learned in December of 1990 that John's eightieth birthday would be on
August 31, 1991. By late January, letters went out to friends and colleagues around the
world inviting them to participate in this Schrififestschn~. When I sent them out, I was
dubious that anyone would be able to respond positively on such short notice. I was
wrong, of course, and the rich collection of essays which follows reveals unmistakably
what a high regard the sinological and linguistic communities have for John. In fact, so
many colleagues offered to submit papers that I regretfully had to decline several fine,
longer pieces for reasons of space limitations.
The Tabula Grmlarorin is a good indication of the high esteem in which John is
held in spite of the fact that my circular concerning this volume was both late and
restricted in size, almost everyone to whom I wrote asked to have their name listed. And
many contributed gifts of varying size toward the cost of publication. I wish to take
advantage of this opportunity to thank publicly all those who have helped to bring this
volume to reality. I hope that no one's m e has been inadvertently omitted from the list
and regret that I was unable to make the existence of this project known to a wider circle
beforehand, for I am sure that many more people would have gladly signed the list had they
known about it.
Finally, I wish to apologize both to the readers of Schrij?$estschrift and to its
authors for the less than perfect appearance of the volume. John deserves only the very
best, but the short amount of time available for compilation and editing would not permit a
more deliberate approach. At least we can rest secure in the knowledge that the essays in
this book are of suitable quality as celebratory offerings for someone of John's stature.
Above all, what matters most is the thought behind this book and the individual essays that
go to make it up. Consequently, I am delighted on behalf of the authors, on behalf of those
who signed the Tabula Grrulatoria, and on behalf of everyone else who wishes John well
on this happy occasion, to dedicate our Schri~stschriifr to him with utmost respect and
admiration. Congratulations on becoming a veritable octogenarian, John, and may we be
priviliged and blessed to share many more birthdays with you!
SCribendi recte sapere.est et principium et fons.
Horace, Ars Poen'ca