The appearance of Gravesiana 2 is evidence in itself of the response to the first issue. The editorial staff has been exceedingly pleased with the positive response of the new journal, and we would like to thank the over 200 people who have subscribed to the journal and joined the Robert Graves Society. With the subscriptions of the over 200 major research libraries in the world and at least another hundred subscribers, we hope that by this time next year, we have a circulation of over 500. We ask that you assist us in this matter by letting your university or local library know of our existence.

If the subscription response has exceeded our expectations, so has the response for articles. We have been inundated with quality articles about Robert Graves and his circle, and there has been a great deal of correspondence between the editorial staff and writers throughout the world concerning potential articles. One of the outcomes has been the decision to publish a special number in June, 1998 with the special theme of GRAVES AND MYTHOLOGY. Obviously, on the 50 year anniversary of the appearance of The White Goddess and a planned conference in Buffalo in the works, the subject matter will be topical.

Our second number continues the format of the first, although we have decided upon a less glossy paper for the printing of the journal. The division of the journal into "Critical Studies", "Biographical Studies", and Reviews was well-received, and we have decided to stick to it. This issue offers a diversity of approaches to Graves studies, and we hope to keep this freshness alive in subsequent issue. In the "Critical Studies" section, we open with an article written by Madhuri Sondhi and Mary Walker concerning Graves' relationship in the 1920s with the enigmatic figure, Basanta Mallik. Sondhi and Walker attempt to redress some of the negative opinions of Mallik which have been expressed in recent biographies of Graves. Alex Davis's comparative study of David Jones and Robert Graves offers some original and unexpected comparisons between the two poets, and Davis concludes with a number of controversial judgements concerning Graves' poetic output during the twenties and thirties. Louise Johnson deftly writes about the fiction of Llorenc Villalonga and the ways in which his fiction was inspired by the writer's colony that grew up around the Graves coterie in Deia. Johnson's article gives us a unique opportunity to observe Graves' presence on the island from a Mallorcan perspective. Finally, in the "Critical Studies" section, we have included John Presley's brief foray into investigative journalism: "Robert Graves, the Two Lawrences, and the FBI"; Presley's study may spawn a conspiracy theory which could lead to the highest echelons of government! A less controversial aspect of this same article is Presley's "Addendum to the Higginson Bibliography", which will be useful for scholars. Presley also tackles the thorny issue of misinterpretations of Graves and Patai's Hebrew Myths in his article "Hebrew Myths and Pseudo Bibliography". We expect some debate may well arise from this latter article.

The "Biographical Studies" section offers a look at the American sculptor and metalworker James Metcalf, whom Graves met in Deia in 1953 and called "the local genius". Roy Skodnick's article offers an excellent vision of the writer and the craftsman and charts the nature of their friendship. Michel Pharand's insightful feature about Graves and R. Gordon Wasson demonstrates the symbiotic nature of the mythographer and the mycophile. Pharand weaves a wonderful depiction of the cross-fertilisation of ideas between two very dissimilar men.

The "Reviews" in this number are varied in their subject matter. John Kelly takes a look at William Graves' Wild Olives, which chronicles not only his life in Deia with his father, but the idyllic nature of the island before the onslaught of tourists. Bernard Bergonzi reviews Pat Barker's highly successful Regeneration Trilogy and wonders why, despite all the positive hype, the novels ultimately fail to satisfy. Sharon Ouditt's review of the Imperial War Museum's edition of A Subaltern on the Somme, by Mark VII offers a comparison between this little known work of trench life with Graves' Goodbye To All That.

Ian Firla has interspersed a few poems, news articles, and book information throughout the number. We hope you find this number interesting and enjoyable, and that you'll look forward with eagerness to the coming numbers.