The new science of computational lexicology and lexicography has arisen through contact and collaboration between representatives of three hitherto distinct disciplines: lexicography, linguistics, and computer science. The Pisa International Summer Schools on Computational Lexicology and Lexicography have played a crucial role, providing a regular forum for inter-disciplinary contact. In this volume, which had its origins in the fifth summer school, distinguished scholars provide a broad perspective on the field. In their overview paper Sue Atkins, Beth Levin, and Antonio Zampolli trace the development of computational lexicography and its links to theoretical linguistics. The sections which follow discuss the collection and pre-processing of textual data, the theoretical infrastructure of lexical analysis, and current tools and methodologies.