In 2016 Abigail Reynolds became the third recipient of the BMW Art Journey. For her project, The Ruins of Time: Lost Libraries of Silk Road, Abigail made a five month-long trek to fifteen library sites along the Silk Road. The libraries had been lost to political conflicts, natural catastrophes, revolutions, and wars. Reynolds' journey was based on extensive research and took her to sites dating from 291 BCE to 2011 CE, including libraries along the whole length of the Silk Road - in China, Uzbekisan, Iran, Turkey, Italy, and Egypt. Along the way Reynolds gathered material on sixteen-millimetre film and in written text. This book, which documents her journey - geographically and spiritually - completes a journey that both starts and ends with the institution of the library.