The primary purpose of Dallas Medieval Texts and Translations is to render medieval Latin texts accessible in authoritative modern English translations; text and translation are presented in a facing-page format which is meant to ensure that the translation does not displace the original Latin. This format can be useful for a variety of readers, from those only beginning to learn medieval Latin to more seasoned scholars, who may value the convenience of a translation that allows them quick access to a text with whose particular terminology they may not be familiar.
The English translations are established either on the basis of existing good critical editions (which the series will reprint whenever possible) or, when necessary, on the basis of new editions. These will usually be semi-critical, with an apparatus limited to important variants. Each volume also comprises scholarly introductions, notes, and annotated bibliographies.
Although Dallas Medieval Texts and Translations is a long-term project which will eventually comprise a large number of volumes (hundreds, perhaps), no series devoted to the publication of medieval Latin texts can aim to be exhaustive. Thus, the Dallas series does not publish works that are already available in reliable English translations. It focuses on texts whose publication promises to make a scholarly contribution to a better, deeper understanding of medieval thought and culture. The series welcomes short texts, but is also open to considering complex multi-volume projects.
The Dallas Medieval Texts and Translations series does not publish anthology-type selections of texts.