From red to black lines and how it was achieved: a personal recollection of the finances and formats of the QJGS–JGS and QJEG, 1950–88 and the formation of the GSL Publishing House

In 2016 Winter & Bromhead (QJEGH: there and back in 50 volumes, https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2016-072) summarized the history of the first 50 volumes of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology (QJEG), later including Hydrogeology (QJEGH) 1967–2016 but welcomed additional historical facts. What was unmentioned were the persistent chronic financial deficits of the Geological Society of London (GSL) over 30 years from 1948. This was unsurprising as Winter and Bromhead's tenures as Chief Scientific Editors of QJEGH date only from 2007. The deficits underlay most of the Society's problems, especially its publications 1950–80 but which very few Fellows now appreciate. So this serious problem is outlined first, how it was corrected follows and then how the GSL Publishing House was set up.