What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• A scene-by-scene walkthrough of the 1956 film Flight To Hong Kong, showing screenshots and explaining where in Hong Kong they were taken.

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• Notes on the 1841 Typhoon
   
• Readers ask:
  • Looking for contact details of Chris Neale, who published his mother's book Green Jade.

Update on the new Gwulo book

Yesterday I finally signed off the proofs!

That was a great feeling, as the rounds of edits to text and photos were starting to feel like they would never end. That's been the case with each of the books, but thankfully there's always a sudden rush at the end where everything slots into place.

The first glimmer of hope is when I see pages with their proper layout. I create the draft document in Microsoft Word, adding in photos to show how I want the page to look. When I've finished I'm pretty happy with it, but it always surprises me how much better it looks after Lilly, the designer, turns it into the layout for the printer. Here's page 12 as an example, with my Word version on the left, and the layout from Lilly on the right.

The next leap forward is when I see the cover for the first time. This is one of the last parts of the layout to be completed, so when I see this I know the end is in sight.

Once I finally decide I've run out of things to change, we ask the printer to produce a proof copy of the book. The proof copy is printed on a digital printer, so it doesn't exactly match the colours we'll get in the final offset-printed book, but it is very close. This is the first time I get to hold the book, and is always a happy moment.

Below is the proof copy I received on Thursday. The pages are grouped into 'signatures', in this case groups of 16 pages that are printed on the same large sheet of paper, then cut and folded, and sewn together during binding. You'll see I've initialled each 16-page signature, which is the signal that I've approved the printer to go ahead with printing. BUT, you'll also note I've crossed these two pages, as I wasn't happy with the appearance of this image. 

Looking through the proof copy I noted seven images I felt could be improved, which meant another late night's work in Photoshop. Lilly and Suk Woon (who works with the printing company to handle the actual printing) are both very responsive and quickly turned around my changes. Yesterday (Saturday) morning I received the new proofs for the updated pages. 

The changes all looked good so I signed them all, handed them back to Suk Woon, and breathed a sigh of relief. Suk Woon takes it from here, guiding the book through the printing process.

We're nearly there! I'll let you know once I have the delivery date for the printed books.
 

People

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• Gwulo meetup - meet for lunch in Central on 29 Nov.
   
• Thank you to David, Grace, and simoncopley for typing up the 1893 Jurors List. If you can spare 30-40 minutes, please help put another list online by typing up a page of the 1892 list.
   
• Herostratus has posted a selection of detailed panoramic views of Hong Kong from the 19th century and the 20th century. (Click on a photo you're interested in, then click its 'Zoom' tab to explore that photo's details.)
   
• Here's a hi-resolution copy of the 1958 Jan Jan's Map of Hong Kong Island 1:12 500
   
• 1907 The Duke and Duchess of Connaught visit Hong Kong
   
• Readers ask:
  • Does anyone have a photo of a British Hong Kong machine readable passport which was issued on July 1, 1990?
     
  • Where was the old viewing spot at Victoria Peak?
     
  • Was there a Boy Scouts building on Tai Tam Road in the 1950s?
     
  • Was there a tunnel at Pillbox 214 near Shui Chuen O?
     
  • Questions about the Russian community in Hong Kong in the mid twentieth-century
     
  • CityUnseen is documenting old electric substation buildings around Hong Kong. They're especially interested in the CLP substations built in the 1960s that have employee housing on the upper floors, and would appreciate any information about them.
     
  • When was the wartime camouflage paint on the Peninsula Hotel removed?
• If you're thinking of buying one of Gwulo's framed prints as a Christmas present, a reminder that orders take around 3 weeks to complete. To be sure your order is ready in time for Christmas, I recommend placing the order by the end of November.
  
  

People

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• Thank you to wingcli2015 for typing up the 1869 Jurors List. If you can spare 30-40 minutes, please help put another list online by typing up a page of the 1893 list.
   
• Liz notes that ten heritage properties are currently open to the public as part of the 2023 Heritage Fiesta.
   
• Readers ask:
  • How to find the aircraft registration number for a BOAC 707 that flew London to HK on 9th September 1967?
     
  • Where to get high-resolution copies of the aerial photos of Hong Kong taken by the USAAF in WW2?
     

People