At the time of writing the printing of our book has begun; a most interesting morning has recenty been spent at Langham Press Foxton to see the pages neatly stacked as they come off the press, ready to be cut and folded into book form.
The anatomy of a printed book cover
I send lots of covers off to press for print and web. I love working on covers, all the parts of a book are so exciting but covers are the faces, the part that's judged first and it's why a good designer will take time on them. Never accept second best!
'The latest one to go through is for a history title, Balsham, a village story, 1617–2017. This was a surprisingly difficult cover to do because of the volume of images to work with.
Going to press
Your invitation
How a book is constructed
The design of our book is being completed in Indesign. It's part of Adobe Creative Cloud which has numerous different type of software for print, animation, web and design. It includes Acrobat to read PDF files, Typekit for legal font use, Photoshop and Lightroom for photographic work and Illustrator for illustrations and diagrams. All of these programmes are being used for our book just as it would be for any professional publishing house.
We're on Facebook, are you?
We'll be adding photos from the Great Balsham Boundary Walk, revealing extracts from the Balsham, a village story 1617-2017 and sharing information about the plans from our book launch. You can also ask us any questions, talk to us about the book and share your history of our village.
Book launch planning and ebooks
We are plotting the book launch. It'll be local and in time for you to pick up a copy before Christmas. You can find out more at the Great Balsham Boundary Walk on 10th September
Second proofs away
Checking it once, checking it twice!
First proofs away
Our book looks like a book!
June was a very busy month for us. We had a deadline of 16th June to hand over all the material we had written to our designer. This meant reading through the Word files and making difficult decisions over what images we could include (don't worry, any that didn't make it will appear on the website).
Great Balsham Boundary Walk, 2017
We're also planning the next Great Balsham Boundary Walk. It's on the Sunday 10th September 10am, starting from the Church Institute where you'll need to register and collect a map. We're also seeking marshalls and volunteers to help us, contact us if you're interested.
To download a sponsor form click here
You can also print out a poster and share on social media or in your workplace or community venue here.
Home Straight
By now all our work which has been gathered over the last 4 years should, in theory, be complete. The task has been an enormous learning curve. Any material we have been unable to use will be safely kept.
The bundles of papers, pictures and maps are now on a memory stick, ready for editing. Modern imagery has confirmed that the boundaries and layout of the village have changed very little since Thomas Langdon produced his map for Charterhouse in 1617.
It is the stories of the people and events which have happened that have made this into a fascinating adventure.
Choosing the Maps
The task of which maps to include in the book is underway. Using modern technology means comparisons can be made between early maps and modern maps. The parish and some field boundaries have changed very little, however, the buildings within the village have certainly increased.
As we assemble the book, difficult decisions will have to be made over what the final content will be.
Valuation Day 22nd April 2017
Already a queue had formed as the doors opened at 2.00pm and continued throughout the afternoon until closing time at 5.00pm.
In total 76 items were brought along for valuation. Martin Millard, Cheffins Director of Fine Arts proved very helpful and knowledgeable, and everyone went away very pleased.
As far as we know, there were no life changing valuations during the afternoon; if there was it was kept very quiet!
We are grateful to the Parish Council for allowing us to use the Pavilion, to Cheffins and to everyone who helped to make the afternoon a success.
Below are a few photos from the event.
First look at our book!
We are delighted to reveal two pages from our book. We put these together to show you how our content is coming along and what we anticipate the book will look like. You can pick up a printed copy at our Valuation Day on 22nd April. If you would like a copy for your place of work, a community group or library, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.
One page from our book showing a photo from the archives
Second page from our book showing one of the maps
Planning the pages
Valuation Day poster, download and print or share online.
Download a poster for our Valuation Day and pop it in your window or share online.
It's back! The Great Balsham Boundary Walk
Lots of routes suitable for all ages and there's tea and cake too!
Great Balsham Boundary Walk 2017
Sunday 10th September from 10.00 am
Walk (or even run!) around all or just part of our Parish Boundary on public paths, Fleam Dyke, Roman Road and with special permitted access to private land.
START/FINISH at the Church Institute, Balsham on Church Lane.
- Refreshments
- Free parking
- Dogs on leads welcome
Here are a few photos from our event last year to inspire you.
