Ninth Biennial Conference of the Early Book Society

New Finds in Old Books and MSS, 1350-1550

sponsored by the Early Book Society at the
Queen's University Belfast
July 3 - July 7, 2005

The conference is open to all members of the Early Book Society. Featured speakers and participants include: Mari Agata, Alexandra Barratt, Virginia Blanton, Julia Boffey, Barbara Bordalejo, Elizabeth J. Bryan, Mary Carruthers, Gavin Cole, Joyce Coleman, Margaret Connolly, Orietta Da Rold, Judith Deitch, A.I. Doyle, Martha Driver, Siân Echard, Rebecca Farnham, Susanna Fein, Joel Fredell, T.S. Freeman, Alexandra Gillespie, Carrie Griffin, Carl Grindley, Mary Hamel, John Hines, Simon Horobin, Sanae Ikeda, Takako Kato, George Keiser, Stephen Kelly, Jeanne Krochalis, Joyce Kubiski, Erik Kwakkel, Anthony Martin, Julia Marvin, Rod McConchie, Frances McSparran, Anthony Martin, Darin A. Merrill, Linne R. Mooney, Charlotte C. Morse, Jason O'Rourke, Niamh Pattwell, Derek Pearsall, Matti Peikola, Oliver Pickering, Jean-Pascal Pouzet, Susan Powell, Mark Purcell, Sherry L. Reames, Martha Rust, Wendy Scase, Jacob Thaisen, Toshiyuki Takamiya, John Thompson, Satoko Tokunaga, Michael A. Torregrossa, Daniel Wakelin, Edward Wheatley, Alison Wiggins, Deirdre Wildey, and Gilly Wraight.

The final conference program will be sent in May. Please send your a-v requirements to Martha Driver or John Thompson as soon as possible, if you have not done so already.

Announcement: Open Session
For this session, Early Book Society members are invited to speak for 10 minutes or less on subjects of general interest to the Society (e.g., libraries, collections, editing, current projects). If you are interested, please promptly contact Martha Driver (MDriver@pace.edu) or John Thompson (J.Thompson@qub.ac.uk) for inclusion on the final program.

Accommodation
Members of the conference may choose to be housed in Stranmillis University College, a university venue within Belfast where conference sessions, dining, and a book display will be offered. Set on 46 acres of woodland, the College is half an hour from Belfast International Airport and less than 2 miles from the center of the city. Near to the college are the Botanic Gardens and the Ulster Museum. T he Queen's University Physical Education Center is in Botanic Gardens, very close to Stranmillis, and its gym and newly-refurbished swimming pool are open to the public. There is also a bar on site, along with good croquet greens.

The cost of four days' residence in Stranmillis with full board, including coffee, teas, meals, and the banquet, will be £210. The student rooms are all single standard rooms and are not ensuite.

Conferees may choose to be housed in hotels in the university area, though meals will be taken together. There are two hotels within walking distance of Stranmillis (where all lectures will take place) which have set aside rooms for EBS conferees. The Best Western Wellington Park Hotel is a short walk down the Malone Road. This four-star hotel is offering £65 per night for a single room and £75 per night for a double (two beds). When delegates are booking rooms in the Wellington Park (028-9038-5050, reservations@mooneyhotelgroup.com, they should quote EAR03075.

The Malone Lodge Hotel and Apartments, a four-star hotel and a fifteen-minute walk from Stranmillis, is offering a single at £79 per night and a double/twin at £89, along with a one-bedroom apartment (sleeps 3 people) for £79, a two-bedroom apartment (4/5 people) for £109 and a three-bedroom apartment (sleeps 6) for £129. Delegates wishing to book a room in the Malone Lodge should simply state they are attending the Early Book Society conference. The number is 028-9038-8000 (info@malonelodgehotel.com).

The cost of the conference for those staying in local hotels over the four days is £125 per person (this amount covers rental of lecture halls, equipment, lunch, dinner, coffees, teas). Campus busses will also run between the conference hotels and the conference site.

A further short list of hotels and outstanding restaurants is listed below. If you wish to stay in one of the conference hotels, please book your room before June 15 . Rooms held for EBS conferees will be released after that date. Belfast is a compact city, and taxis are inexpensive (ranging from about £3 and £6 between Queen's and the center of town).

Those wishing to stay on for the Thursday trip to local sites, including holy wells, the Giants' Ring, stone crosses, St Patrick's tomb, with a meal to be taken at Strangford Lough, will be asked to pay a nominal additional amount to cover the costs of hiring the coach and a packed lunch. Arrangements are being made to get a good price for a group meal at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the lough. Those arriving a night or two prior to the conference who wish to stay in Stranmillis are further asked to pay £22.50 per night for their bed and breakfast. Registration will be from 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 3.

Conference Registration
The conference registration fee is $65, payable in advance in US dollars to Martha Driver or the Early Book Society (send to Martha Driver, EBS, Department of English, Pace University, 41 Park Row, New York, New York 10038). Conference registration payments may also be made in sterling £35 to John Thompson (send to John Thompson, English Department, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN N.Ireland). The registration fee covers costs of mailing, xeroxing, bus and equipment hire, the ceilidh, the play, the barman, and other extras, and may also be paid at the door. Please send the conference registration form to either Martha or John by April 1.

For information on activities, receptions and expeditions planned for the EBS Belfast conference, as well as helpful tips about travelling to Queen's University, please check the fall Newsletter 2004 posted at http://www.nyu.edu/projects/EBS/NewsFall04.html. See also the EBS conference website set up by Stephen Kelly at Queen's: http://www.qub.ac.uk/ebs2005. For general information about Belfast, see http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk.

Book Table
If you wish your new book(s) to be exhibited, please have your publisher send a copy or copies, along with order forms and publicity, directly to John Thompson, School of English, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, N. Ireland, UK.

Recommended Hotels and Restaurants
As noted earlier in this info sheet, rooms have been blocked for EBS conferees at two Belfast hotels, both within a fifteen-minute walk of the conference site. These are: Wellington Park Hotel (028-9038-5050, reservations@mooneyhotelgroup.com), offering £65 per night for a single and £75 per night for a double (two beds). When booking, delegates should quote EAR03075. Malone Lodge Hotel and Apartments

(028-9038-8000 info@malonelodgehotel.com) offers a single at £79 per night and a double/twin at £89. Other reasonably priced rooms are available. Mention the Early Book Society conference when you book.

Other recommended hotels in Belfast include the following:
***Duke's Hotel, 65-67 University St, 028-9023 6666 info@dukes-hotel-belfast.co.uk. £36 - 55 per night (20 mins walk from Stranmillis).

***Madison's Hotel, 59-63 Botanic Ave, 028-9050-9800 info@madisonhotel.com. £35 - 70 pps (20 mins walk from Stranmillis).

Bienvenue Guesthouse, 8 Sans Souci Park, Malone Road, 028-9066-8003 bienvenueguesthouse@hotmail.com (15 mins from Stranmillis).

For a more complete listing, see also Stephen Kelly's conference website cited earlier.

These recommended restaurants in Belfast were visited in 2004 by Martha Driver and Linne Mooney:
*** Benedicts Restaurant, 7-21 Bradbury Pl, 028-9059-1999 ££
****Cayenne, 7 Ascot House, Shaftsbury Sq, 028-9033-1532 (must try) ££
****Lemongrass Restaurant, 1 University Street, 028-9032-4000 £
***Madison's Cafe Bar, 59-63 Botanic Avenue, 028-9050-9808 ££

Conference registration form (.htm or .pdf)