"The world hath long enough beene abused with falshoods. And there's a weekly cheat put out to nourish the abuse amongst the people, and make them pay, for their seducement. And that the world may see that the Court is neither so barren of intelligence, as it is conceived...as these pamphlets make them: it is thought fit to let them truly understand the estate of things that so they will no longer pretend ignorance, or be deceived with untruthes' which being premised once for all, we now go on unto the businesses wherein we shall proceed with all truth and candour.... New Year's Day shall give entrance to this new design."
Mercurius Aulicus
Jan 1, 1642/3

The hardest part of producing this first issue of ECWN&Q has been writing the introduotion. We found the above quote so tempting that we just had to put it in, and then struggle to write around it. We foundered on the fact there is no 'weekly cheat'; that to set ourselves up to dispe1 'untruthes' and 'ignorance' sounded pompous; and the fact that while we are attepting to produce something within the spirit of the above quote, it really wasn't the reason for doing so at all!

In over ten years of Re-enacting, Wargaming, and researching the Civil War, we have met many people with a similar enthusiasm for the period. Many of them have worked hard on very obscure and personal intereats. Few see their research reaching more than close friends. To publish the valuable but commercially unviable was why we set up PARTIZAN PRESS. To get a wider range of Civil Var subjects in circulation, to introduce and encourage new writers and illustrators and to provide a source for those wanting the information is why we are starting ECWN&Q.

Like all specialist magazines, its success relies as much on readere supplying articles as those buying. We hope the first will encourage those without lengthy works to at least test the water by sending in Notes, Queries, and answering questions.

Unfortunately, like the Editor and publishers, we cannot pay for contributions. All we can do is extend the subcription of those providing over half a page of writing or illustration, or for regular contributions. Our thanks to those who have helped us launch the magazine.

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