N O V E L S T H E    B O O K    O F    L O S T    T H I N G S L I M I T E D    E D I T I O N Besides the regular version, The Book of Lost Things is now available as a limited edition, produced by David Torrans through his wonderful bookshop, No Alibis, in Belfast. It is a large format slipcased hardback, approx 32cm by 25cm, bound in goatskin, with new illustrations by Anne M. Anderson commissioned specially for the book. It was published in April, and costs £200. This edition really is a labour of love. Limited edition prints of the artwork (there are only 50 of each), signed by Ms. Anderson and priced at £60, are also available. Further details are available from david@noalibis.com or (+44) 28 9031 9607. Some of the artwork is below, other pieces can be seen in the slideshow on the previous page. Anne Anderson trained as a graphic designer and illustrator at the Ulster College of Art and Design in Belfast (now the University of Ulster). For many years Anne has worked mainly in the medium of print, concentrating on etching and various forms of intaglio print, as well as relief printing techniques including linocuts. She has been teaching printmaking both in schools, higher level education colleges and adult leisure classes. Anne has exhibited widely in Ireland, UK and abroad and has been a member of Seacourt Print Workshop in Bangor, County Down since 1982. Some of her work can be seen in the Seacourt web gallery at www.seacourt-ni.org.uk. As an artist I draw my inspiration from a variety of sources including landscape, cityscape, gardens, wildlife, literature and family history. I enjoy the diverse possibilities of print as an art form and use a number of print techniques. My work is quite illustrative and I like the strong graphic qualities of black and white linocuts which force me to reduce the image to a stylised design. I also love working in colour and the more free techniques of collagraph and carborundum prints give me a vehicle for strong layers of colour. When illustrating a text I try to respond to the writing in a way which still leaves the reader to see his own visual interpretation especially when the written descriptions are very graphic. On The Book of Lost Things: I enjoyed reading this novel enormously and it appealed to me on several levels. It is the poignant story of the boy David's journey through the grief of bereavement with his feelings of loss, confusion and anger. A sensitive boy, steeped in fairytale literature, he is transported into a fantasy land reminiscent of Narnia or Middle-Earth. The story takes the reader, with David, through a series of frightening adventures where simple childhood allegories become mixed up and give way to more adult, dark forces and concepts. The story reaches a very satisfactory, if tear-jerking conclusion. It is a novel full of vivid imagery on every page, so well described that in a sense there is no need for illustrations at all. The reader can easily picture every character and situation without the aid of pictures. I have therefore concentrated mainly on 'scene-setting' as well as a few selected close ups thus leaving the readers to draw the details for themselves. The idea of having a hand bound, illustrated edition of the book fits in very well with its style which is reminiscent of the fantasy novels of the early 20th century. These books, with their romantic tales of knights and troubadours, which were often richly illustrated by the Pre-Raphaelite artists, were popular in the 1920s and 30s. I have used the medium of black and white linocuts which I hope will add to the dramatic qualities of the book.