THE PAPERS OF JAMES MADISON WIN HISTORY AWARD 

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 4 -- The Papers of James Madison,
which enjoys the institutional support of the University of
Virginia, has won a prestigious award from the Society for
Historians of American Foreign Relations.
	The Arthur S. Link Prize Committee of the Society for
Historians of American Foreign Relations awarded its 1996 prize to
the James Madison project for Volume Two of the Secretary of State
Series. The prize recognizes "not only the high level of scholarship
and erudition present in the publication of the James Madison
papers, but the [project's] overall contribution to history," wrote
Mary A. Giunta, chairwoman of the prize committee, to J.C.A. Stagg,
editor-in-chief of the Madison papers and U.Va. professor of
history, in her letter advising him of the honor. 
	The prize, which is awarded no more than once every three
years, consists of a certificate and a check for $500. It is named
for Arthur S. Link, a well known editor and biographer of Woodrow
Wilson, and a U.Va. alumnus.
	Stagg and Mary A. Hackett, assistant editor at the project
and editor of Volume Two, accepted the award for their editorial
team at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association in
New York City in early January.
	"It's extremely gratifying to get this recognition from a
scholarly organization," said Stagg. "Documentary editors are often
the unsung heroes of the historical profession. It takes a lot of
slow, painstaking team work to put out a good volume, so it's
satisfying when someone takes notice of the effort that went into
it."
	The Madison Papers documentary editing project was launched
in 1956 as a collaborative effort between U.Va. and the University
of Chicago.The project moved to U.Va. in 1971. Since its inception,
the Madison Papers has published 23 volumes: 17 in the Congressional
Series, which is complete; three of a prospective 16 volumes in the
Secretary of State Series, and three of a prospective 12 volumes in
the Presidential Series. A Retirement Series, which has not yet
commenced, is expected to cover eight volumes. 
	The Madison Papers' staff of six produces, on average, one
volume a year.
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February 3, 1997
	For more information, call John Stagg at (804) 924-6978.
Television reporters should call our TV News Office at (804)
924-7550.