Bulletin Spring 1989

under various stages of publication. The whole concept of a General Books Publication Programme was first discussed at the Senate Committee on University Press in the autumn of 1988, shortly after our Vice-Chancellor took up his appointment at the University. The Committee gave its blessings and the proposal then went to the University Senate. After it got passed the Senate, The Chinese University Press started recruiting new staff to cope with the projected expansion. One million dollars have been set aside from the CUP's Revolving Fund as seed money to enable the new operation to get off the ground. In the long run, of course, the whole project is expected to be self-financing. Unlike academic books, therefore, which The University Press will continue to publish even if they are money losers, one of the criteria for determining whether or not to publish a general book is that of marketability. For general books, the minimum print-run is 3,000 and the production time is six months. If a publication is unlikely to sell that many copies or if its production is so complicated and time-consuming that it is likely to cost a lot of money, then it would not be considered under the General Books Publication Programme. It might still be published, however, as an academic book, if it meets the publication criteria for such publications. General books need not be externally assessed but must be endorsed by an editorial sub-committee made up of the following people: Dr. F.C. Chen (Chairman) Mr. T.C. Lai Dr. Francis K. Pan Dr. Philip Shen Mr. T.L. Tsim (Secretary) The idea is to make sure that the books published under this programme will be perceived as worthwhile and useful to the general reading public. The creation of such a General Books Section within the CUP has meant that there will be increased opportunity for our academic, research and administrative staff to have their works published by The University Press. It is our hope that more and more colleagues will avail themselves of the opportunity and help make this publishing programme a success. Pleated skirt, Ming Dynasty (Exhibition of Archaeological Finds from the Five Dynasties to the Qing Periods in Guangdong) 8