380
Finally, there was a synopsis of the book and of Han Suyin to write and the whole thing then went off for printing. This was a nail-biting period because I know, from personal experience, that even perfect texts can somehow get mangled during the printing process. However, Henry duly produced "Job 1," which I, in turn, mailed off to Teresa. All was quiet for several days until an e-mail arrived from Teresa saying that the book was perfect! There were celebrations in both Katowice and Hong Kong that day.
Another 999 copies were produced and sent to Teresa by ship and have now been distributed or sold widely. Almost unbelievably, the book was in the Polish bestseller list for a while towards the end of 2002.
This venture, on the part of HKBRAS, coincided with a decision by Council to put HKBRAS more on the world map, a process which continues. As a member of Council subsequently remarked: 'And, of course, Poland was the obvious place to start!'
I have had a profoundly fulfilling life but my life goals never, obviously enough, included publishing a book for a Polish professor of chemistry. What an amazing world it is!
By way of a postscript, Teresa and the author finally met, face-to-face, on 14 November 2002, in Katowice.