This is one of a series of huge books acquired over the years to be developed into Scrapbooks. In the autumn of 2008 I decided to throw away most of my tearsheets stored by category in A3 brown paper envelopes. One image in twenty survived for the scrapbooks. The selection criteria were whimsical and often changed by the days. It was a sign of incompetence when I was seen going back through the recycling bags. To date I can't recall any particular images that I miss now.

Once selected and trimmed the images (editorial, advertising, informational) were glued into this giant TIMES atlas in no particular sequence, often over-lapping and concealing each other, using the maps and the blank pages between. The stray bits of map that appeared between the pictures added to the density of surface. Often the images selected chimed together in interesting and unsuspected way while the Atlas bedded them down in sealanes, mountain ranges and descriptive headings of startling inappropriateness.

There was a great sense of satisfaction reducing the brown envelopes from 2,000 to just over a hundred. The scrapbooks themselves may end up on the Tip but at least I have a record of pictures I have loved, pored over, and returned to year after year.