In 1988 Ioan James celebrated his sixtieth birthday. To mark the occasion, and to recognize his contribution to mathematics, the Fifth Oxford Topology Symposium took the form of a conference on Homotopy Theory at the Palazzone in Cortona, Italy, held with the assistance of the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa. The conference enjoyed financial support from the London Mathematical Society, Cambridge University Press, and Pergarrion Press.

This volume is intended both to be a record of proceedings, and to give some insight into the future development of Homotopy Theory. The articles range from almost verbatim accounts of talks describing current work to more detailed papers, which in a few cases discuss material not presented at the conference. The Editors thank all the contributors very warmly, as well as the staff of Cambridge University Press.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee for the conference, we acknowledge help, not only from the sponsors listed above, but also from those institutions, including the Royal Society and the National Science Foundation, that helped with the fares of individual participants. We are grateful to the Scuola Normale for allowing us to hold the Symposium in such beautiful surroundings, and specially thank all those in Pisa whose help was so essential for its successful organization. In addition, we record our warm appreciation for the efficient and courteous secretarial services of Silvana Boscherini, who stood in at short notice. Finally, we thank all participants, and especially loan James, for making the conference so profitable and enjoyable.