How to write an “editor’s note” (about nudie musicals in 1970s New York City)

A good editor’s note clarifies something vital that some readers might (without guidance from the editor) overlook or under-appreciate, or that some lawyer insists on having stated explicitly. New editors can learn the art of writing editor’s notes by studying classic examples. Here is one such example:

[Editor’s note: This post contains numerous hyperlinks to video and sound files that enrich the text with excerpts from the films and productions that the author discusses. We suggest that you read through the post once without clicking the hyperlinks to get a sense of their context in the discussion, and then go back through to reap the benefits of these additional illustrations.]

That note appears at the very beginning of an essay called “Nudie Musicals in 1970s New York City“, by Elizabeth L. Wollman [pictured here], associate professor of music at Baruch College, City University of New York. The essay was published on June 16, 2014, in the “Sound Matters” blog, produced by the Society for Ethnomusicology.

(Thanks to investigator Jim Cowdery for bringing this to our attention.)

BONUS: Baruch College is home to many great essayists. Perhaps the greatest is Professor John Trinkaus, who has written nearly 100 studies about things that annoy him.