National Book Project Revived
The 4th edition of Temu Ilmu marks the beginning of a new and positive phase in the publication of the highly acclaimed 15-volume series, The Encyclopedia of Malaysia .
First conceived in the booming 1990s, guided by Project Manager Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, and with the generous support of twelve corporations, the encyclopedia project made rapid progress. Towards the end of 1998, under the direction of Datin Noor Azlina Yunus, the first five volumes were published: The Environment, Plants, Animals, Early History and Architecture .
However, as a result of the economic crisis, which struck East Asia in 1997, the funds required to complete the series proved difficult to raise. With much reluctance, the project was thus put in abeyance pending the anticipated economic recovery. Nevertheless, some work on the books continued, and in November 2001, two further volumes were released: The Seas and Early Modern History.
Meanwhile, sourcing for the additional funds necessary to complete the project was going on. Thankfully, financial backing from seven additional corporate sponsors has now been secured, enabling the project to be fully revived and the remaining eight volumes to be published in due course.
Reassembling the team
The revival of the project following such a hiatus has involved the publisher in a great deal of activity. The first objective has been to re-establish the human and physical infrastructure required to publish the anticipated 600,000 words and 5000 illustrations that will constitute the remaining volumes of the series.
The first meeting of the Editorial Advisory Board took place in March 1994 at the office of the DPM. The initial members included Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Tan Sri Zain Azraai, Puan Azah Aziz, Professor Dato' Dr Asmah Haji Omar, Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Mustaffa Babjee, Dato' Noordin Sopiee and Dato' Zakiah Hanum Abdul Hamid. Tan Sri Augustine S.H. Ong, Dato' Dr T. Marimuthu, Dr Peter Kedit and Patricia Regis were later invited to join the Board.
The process of reassembling the project's human resources is now nearing completion. It has involved tracking down numerous academic contributors and editors, some of whom have in the interim changed location or even transferred overseas. The selection of new contributors to rework the forthcoming volumes is also well under way. In addition, the rebuilding process has meant undertaking an intensive recruitment programme to develop a new in-house editorial team. This has been productive and recruitment will continue as the project gains momentum.
On the material front, computers and software, telephones, scanners and office furniture have all had to be acquired for the publisher's office in Jalan Pudu Lama, Kuala Lumpur. An internet domain name has also been registered - www.edmbooks.com.my - enabling the publisher to assign staff new e-mail addresses. These combined facilities will ensure that the newly expanded team have the appropriate tools to undertake the enormous task ahead.
Work in progress
The redeveloped project infrastructure has allowed work on the series to commence apace.
The encyclopedia's contributors are now working to complete and update the text for the 65 spreads that make up each remaining volume. This text is then edited by the in-house volume editors who also create preliminary visual layouts and illustration lists. In depth picture research and the commissioning of artworks are the next phases to be undertaken.
As these various elements are completed for each spread, the design team takes over to further advance the publishing process and shape the ultimate design of the books.