Bound by Celine Lombardi Bishop, Hal. Lost and Found. Risbury, Herefordshire: Whittington Press, 2010. First edition. Copy 108 of 225. $3000. Hal Bishop tells a riveting tale of the rediscovery of much of Reckitt’s work. Lost and Found covers not only the handful of proofs and 14 blocks, owned by a collector, from Reckitt’s 1950 commission of 16 illustrations for The Mill on the Floss, which publisher Paul Elek was unable to bring to fruition. The story becomes truly exciting when a failed burglary of Reckitt’s niece’s house brought to light many more of Reckitt’s woodblocks. Lost and Found features not only Reckitt’s early work, and her The Mill on the Floss illustrations, but also Reckitt’s earlier images of London during and post-World War II on the verso of many of The Mill on the Floss blocks. The two largest engravings of London were 8 x 10 inches, but cut into into 3 pieces. Two of the pieces were re-used for The Mill of the Floss, while a 1.5″ section was discarded. Artist’s statement: The somber tone and the ‘wood block’ inset panel made from pleated paper (a technique learned from paper engineer Matthew Shlian) echo Reckitt’s hidden engravings of wartime London, especially one of the two largest and most significant depictions of the bomb-ravaged city: City Ruins (ca. 1942). The addition of gold accents celebrates the rediscovery of her Reckitt’s work. #rachelreckitt #finepress #boundbythebest #limitededition #woodcuts #woodcutwednesday #london #womenartists #art #ruins #wwii #paperengineering #bookbinding