Hrvatski Sabor Kulture requested help with fundraising for this book, documenting research in traditional costumes in Croatia, and the NEFC Board has unanimously voted to serve as the official collector of the fundraising efforts, the result of which will then be sent to the publishers.  Thus, any individual contribution can be tax deductible.  We have also attached the official letter from the Croatian Parliament describing the book, its benefits and the need for funds, which includes two official reviews from the directors of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb and the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb (see below):

How to donate:  go to the NEFC home page www.friendsofcroatia.org, click the “donate” button and submit payment via credit card or Paypal account. Include the note ”for the Costumes Book” in the “Address II” field.  NEFC will send you confirmation with a tax-deductible note. Or if you prefer, you can write a check to NEFC, note “for the Costumes book”. If so, please contact us via [email protected].

Deadline:  June 2014.  The publishers need to know the status at that point to figure a way to proceed.

THE CONTEXT:

The publisher/sponsor:  The Croatian Cultural Parliament has so far published about 50 books that document aspects of Croatian culture. The latest book they are sponsoring and co-publishing is titled:  “Costumes in the Neretva Delta through the Centuries.” This is done in collaboration with two cultural organizations in the Dubrovnik-Neretva region. In addition, the Croatian Heritage Foundation (Hrvatska Matica Iseljenika) will be the educational partner both in Croatia and abroad.

Publishing model for “traditions” books: these projects are not done for commercial purpose.  Authors occasionally receive a token honorarium, and there are no royalties. Note that this author has decided to forego the honorarium toward the printing expenses. The goal for publishing research work is to archive it for future generations. Thus, in addition to a budget allocated by the Croatian Cultural Parliament, all co-publishers collect donations to complement covering the cost of printing books, so they can be placed in all relevant libraries and schools.  Some copies are left for sponsors.

Status:  The research and writing of the book has been finalized.  Publishers are formatting the book to get it ready for printing and they need to collect donations for the printing expenses.  The cost of printing is about US$20,000.

Letter PDF: Hrvatski Sabor Kulture.pdf