Introduction
The Nigerian Field Society was formed in 1930 by A.F.B. Bridges, who was working in the colonial service in Nigeria, and the Journal was first published in the following year. The editorship was assumed in 1934 by E.F.G. Haig, and he continued in this post until 1976, when the job was taken over by the late Professor Beverly Halstead. From 1983 onwards there have been four other editors, all based in Nigeria, the current editor being Professor A.O. Isichei, at the University of Ife. There are several branches of the Society in Nigeria, and also a branch in the U.K. The aims of the Society remain as they always have been. It is 'an organisation devoted to the study of West Africa, its plants, animals and environment, its peoples and their culture', and the journal is also devoted to these ends. Members of the Society receive The Nigerian Field, and may participate in all branch activities. Contributions to the journal are welcome and should be sent to the editor.
Overview
At first, publication of the journal was irregular. The first eight issues appeared intermittently in the years 1931-1933. Subsequently, numbers 1-5 were treated as Volume 1, and numbers 6-8 as Volume 2. Volumes 3-8 appeared in the years 1934-1939, but only five Volumes were published in 1940-1948. From 1949 to 1978 (Volumes 14-43) the journals appeared regularly, with four issues per year. Since Volume 42 (1977) the issues have been called parts rather than numbers. From 1979, the parts were combined in various ways (not necessarily four per year) and this has continued to be the case. Some further hiatuses occurred in the years 1979-1984 (Volumes 44-49). From 1985 (Volume 50) onwards, publication has been more regular, although there has been a tendency in recent years for the Volumes to appear somewhat behind schedule.
In 1979-1981, three Volumes of the journal appeared in the guise of Monographs (by Beverly Halstead, A.F.B. Bridges, and A.D.N. Bain) but (although they were separately paginated) they were regarded as part of the regular series. An Index for Volumes 1-50 was published in 1989, and this still constitutes a useful work of reference.
The journal is the main publication of the Nigerian Field Society. It is expected that articles should meet exacting professional standards, but they must be presented attractively, in a form that is interesting and intelligible to a wide readership. The Nigerian Field enjoys a high academic reputation, and up to now has been taken regularly by a number of libraries both within and outside Nigeria.
