The Codex Seraphinianus is a delightfully bizarre book that gives readers a glimpse into an imaginary universe dreamed up by Seraphini himself. This edition comes with a small book called The Decodex in which Seraphini explains that the Codex Seraphinianus was designed to bring forth the feeling of wonder children find from looking through an encyclopedia before they have learned to read. The images inside such a book are interesting and unique to children, who have little context for understanding what all the odd images are (aside from a few things they happen to have encountered in life). And since it is written in a language they can’t read, they’re left to use their powerful imaginations to fill in the blanks.
Serphini masterfully achieves his goal of bringing readers that feeling of curious wonderment by creating his own script and drawing fascinating diagrams and astounding images stripped from his vivid imagination.
In order to truly appreciate this massive volume, it’s most useful to explore each aspect of the book itself, piece by piece.
Size:
One often ignored aspect of this book is its sheer size. It’s a very big book. Reading it in bed is a bit of a cumbersome challenge because of its size and weight, and the fact that some images are drawn in a landscape format, which forces you to flip the book sideways. That said, the book would be done a great disservice by shrinking any of the images or text drawn inside—they’re too great to be altered without compromising some of their integrity.
Pages:
The pages themselves are very high quality. They are thick and heavy and are quite fibrous to the touch—yes, I’m gushing about the paper, and it’s really quite superior. The printing is astounding as well, and immaculately reproduces every one of Seraphini’s carefully colored lines and shading. Each drawing looks as though Seraphini himself drew it inside your personal copy. I was honestly afraid of smudging away his hard work as I looked through it. The quality of the book is worth the price alone.
Content:
What really makes this book standout from any other is the puzzling images inside. In a word, Seraphini’s work is flabbergasting. His ability to capture aspects of this strange land is as amazing as his devotion to it. Some of the pages feature dozens of tiny, painstakingly drawn images, all of which are perfectly spaced and diagrammed alongside his swirling imaginary script. There are even entire pages of nothing but his weird text, with odd diagrams and symbols that may or may not mean anything. The text really asks an interesting semantic question about what happens when we receive ample signs but no signifiers.
The Codex Seraphinianus can’t be read in a conventional sense due to its untranslatable script, but can be read in a manner that no other book can be explored. The book is organized in that there are chapter sections and even a sort of table of contents at the beginning (of course, it’s also written in the strange script). It’s all organized in a fashion similar to a biology text book, and certainly seems to explore the world in a similar way.
Though the diagrams and images seem random, you can discern how certain things in this world interact. Certain creatures appear on more than one page. Certain sections seem devoted to the cellular biology of creatures, and some to various tribes of human-like organisms (featuring their clothing and habitat). There is a story here, but you’re given no solid information about it. You’re left to contemplate its meaning and find its purpose for yourself, which makes discussion about this book extremely subjective, yet wildly entertaining.
Ultimately, Seraphini’s effort culminates in something truly extraordinary and unique. No book I’ve ever held has quite the same ability to enchant and befuddle. The brilliance of this book is no small way a result of Seraphini’s indefatigable efforts to craft something at once brilliant, totally insane, and utterly matchless.
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Calypso
Enciclopedia di un mondo fantastico
Reviewed in Italy on December 22, 2020
Calypso
Reviewed in Italy on December 22, 2020
Il Codex è l’enciclopedia di un mondo fantastico, scritto in una lingua inventata e senza significato, in un alfabeto indecifrabile.
Dimensioni del libro: 23.5cm di larghezza x 34.5cm di lunghezza x 5.5cm di spessore
Purtroppo non so dirvi quante pagine ha questo libro in quanto anche i numeri delle pagine sono scritto in un linguaggio incomprensibile. Non le ho contate ma credo siano diverse centinaia di pagine.
Le pagine hanno un ottimo spessore, sono eleganti e ben rifinite, i colori delle stampe sono perfetti e curati nei minimi dettagli. Il colore non traspare sull'altro lato della pagine inoltre, le pagine sono stampate sia fronte che retro.
L'autore, Serafini, scrisse e disegnò il libro in due anni e mezzo a partire dal 1976.
Il libro è diviso in più parti che trattano diversi argomenti, come una normale enciclopedia: ci sono la botanica, la zoologia e la mineralogia, la moda, la gastronomia e la tecnologia.
EDIZIONI
Dieci anni fa Rizzoli ripubblicò il libro nel 2006 e nel 2013. Il costo è circa di 100 euro nella versione economica e di 300 euro in quella Deluxe.
La copertina delle nuove edizioni è avorio e oro, come richiesto da Serafini; quella del 2013 si distingue da quella del 2006 perché le coccinelle che ci sono raffigurate arrivano molto più lontano sulla pagina. Esistono anche nuove edizioni internazionali: una americana, pubblicata da Rizzoli, una ucraina e una cinese.
DECODEX
In questa edizione del Codex è presente, alla fine, in un fascicolo a parte il Decodex che è una prefazione di Serafini che contiene qualche illustrazione e un breve racconto sulla nascita dell’opera (2 facciate). Spiega per esempio di aver avuto l’idea di accostare alle immagini fantastiche una lingua fantastica pensando a cosa si prova da bambini guardando le illustrazioni di un libro senza poterlo leggere.
CONCLUSIONI
Libro particolare che non si legge ma si osserva. Consiglio di scegliere ogni giorno qualche immagine e osservarla attentamente: queste immagini infatti sono ricchissime di particolari e dettagli che solo un occhio attento riesce a cogliere.
Images in this review
EisNinE
A Not-So-Sacred Text For Those Who Believe In The Primacy Of Imagination
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2014HORTENSIA
Muy rápido lo que parecía imposible
Reviewed in Spain on September 8, 2021Shialtin
I'm not great with superlatives, so words are actually failing me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2020
