 They offer their first number with fear and trembling, but with the conviction that they are undertaking a work which very much needed doing.In the recounting of the lore surrounding "Books Abroad", colorful tales associated with the frequent visits of literary celebrities who traveled to the University of Oklahoma campus under the auspices of the journal's affiliated programs (see Puterbaugh Festival of International Literature and Culture, for example) arise.One case in point involves Michel Butor, the celebrated French author and critic, who was the featured writer at the 1981 Puterbaugh Conference; he had already established a productive history with the University of Oklahoma as he had lectured on the university's campus in 1971 and had served as a juror for the Neustadt Prize in 1974 (the candidate he championed, Francis Ponge, won the award that year).