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I’m curious why this (as yet unpublished) Encyclopedia (IEHG) has eclipsed our longstanding journals as the primary target for the campaign against DSEI. As Chatterton and Featherstone mention in their editorial, Elsevier journals include Geoforum, Political Geography, Journal of Historical Geography, World Development, Geographical Abstracts, Journal of Transport Geography, Applied Geography etc. But the signatories to the Newcastle letter boycott the IEHG rather than the journals. They won’t use the IEHG in teaching either but, once again, this doesn’t extend to the journals. I don’t think I follow their distinction. For my part, I thought the exchange in Political Geography was challenging stuff. I did wonder, however, whether a boycott might expose the editors of the IEHG (or, for that matter, its contributors) to some uncomfortable legal liabilities. I’m sure there will be many people like me who have already signed contracts – and in the case of the editors, this must have been a long time ago. I doubt Reed-Elsevier will put a bounty on my head for defaulting on my 4000 words, but the editors might not have it so easy. Having agreed to write an entry, I think I have an ethical contract with the editors to see it through, particularly in circumstances where a withdrawal might leave them exposed to a breach of contract. I guess the best scenario would be if the editors could negotiate their ‘release’, but I can't imagine Elsevier being agreeable to this. Fraser Fraser MacDonald Academic Visitor (Feb-June 2007) Institute of Geography University of Edinburgh Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9XP Scotland P: +44 131 650 9508 Lecturer in Human Geography School of Social and Environmental Enquiry 221 Bouverie Street The University of Melbourne VIC 3010 AUSTRALIA P: +61 3 8344 9318 E: [log in to unmask] http://www.sages.unimelb.edu.au/staff/macdonald.html