Previous articleNext article FreeEditor’s NoteJames OsborneJames Osborne Search for more articles by this author Full TextPDF Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreMy own first peer-reviewed journal article, “Secondary Mortuary Practice and the Bench Tomb: Structure and Practice in Iron Age Judah,” appeared in 2011 in the first issue of Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 70. I still recall the pride I felt when the article appeared in print; besides being my first significant publication, the manuscript had undergone a helpful and thorough revision process that began with my original submission in May of 2009. Ten years later, I am equally proud and honored, and more than a little trepidatious, to have been appointed Editor of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies. I am greatly looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.Besides marking a decade since my first foray into the world of academic publishing, this same decade from 2009–2019 represents almost exactly the period in which JNES was under the editorial leadership of Christopher Woods, now the John A. Wilson Professor of Sumerian and the Director of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute. The present issue will be the final one produced under his editorship. Taking the helm in March of 2009, Professor Woods was responsible for transforming the journal into the format we enjoy today, including an updated and expanded layout, color images, and a revamped cover design, all while maintaining the journal’s intellectual rigor and its role as the world’s leading “big tent” venue for peer-reviewed scholarship in Near Eastern studies. On behalf of the entire faculty in the University of Chicago’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the Oriental Institute, I thank Professor Woods for his remarkable dedication and service to the Journal of Near Eastern Studies.Even while its organizational structure and formatting may continue to be modified and improved in the months and years to come, the journal will maintain its traditional scope. Seth Richardson continues in his role as Managing Editor. Fred Donner, Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Near Eastern History, is succeeding Professor Ahmed El Shamsy as the Book-Review Editor for the modern periods, and I will remain as Book-Review Editor for the ancient periods. What will never change is the Journal of Near Eastern Studies’ commitment to publishing original, insightful, and provocative analyses of Near Eastern subjects.James OsborneEditorApril 1, 2020 Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 79, Number 1April 2020 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/708114 Views: 176 © 2020 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Crossref reports no articles citing this article.