The book “Register of Those Deported from Estonia 1945–1953”

We are glad to report that another book has been published, titled “Register of Those Deported from Estonia 1945–1953”. This time the volume number was 8/3. The client was the Estonian Memento Union.

Our contribution to the book was digital data processing, layout, photo editing and the design of the cover. Naturally we also handled all the communication and coordination with the hard-working team at our long-standing partner, the Tallinn Book Printing House.

Data processing before layout

With a register volume most of the time goes on the work done before anything reaches the page. The data comes together from different sources and in different shapes, so it first has to be harmonised: name forms, date formats, place names, abbreviations. Only then can the records be poured onto the page mechanically in a way that stays consistent across the whole book.

On the layout side, readability is decided by the column width and the structure of each record. A book like this is not read from cover to cover — it is searched. The eye therefore has to find a name quickly and the boundary of each record must be clearly perceptible, without the book swelling beyond a reasonable page count.

The same series

From the other volumes in the same series we have laid out “Register of Those Deported from Estonia 1940–1941”, “Brief Records for the Memorial to the Victims of Communism” and “Crimes of Communism in Estonia — Supplementary Register”.

You can browse the book here.