Codex Seraphinianus

Serafini, Luigi

ISBN 10: 0896594289 / ISBN 13: 9780896594289

Edité par Abbeville Press, 1983

A propos de cet article

This is the First American Edition, published in 1983. Hardcover, dust jacket present. "Easily one of the strangest books ever published, THE CODEX SERAPHINIANUS is written entirely in a mysterious and as-of-yet undeciphered language. However, the numerous illustrations provide insights into the flora, fauna, inhabitants, and society of a non-existent world. These fantastic and whimsical drawings show skeletons being reassembled into people, fish that resemble eyes, a man and woman copulating and slowly turning into an alligator, the animals that make up a rainbow, and other wonderfully weird examples of an alien reality. First released in a limited Italian edition in 1981, the book has periodically been published in France, Spain, and the United States. The author, an Italian artist, has never spoken about the origins of the book or the meaning of his language, but theorists surmise that it is inspired by the Borges story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" about a book from the (fictional) country of Uqbar that documents every aspect of an imaginary world called Tlön. Borges writes: "The metaphysicians of Tlön are not looking for truth, nor even for an approximation of it; they are after a kind of amazement." Lucky readers who stumble upon Serafini's rare oddity will find themselves confronted with a wealth of amazing nonsense." I credit the publisher for this description. The book has a number of minor flaws: Very light age tonning to the page edges (see photo) a gap in the pages from the location of a book mark ( now removed) some minor signs of shelf wear including rubbing to the dust jacket. Please email for photos to ask specific questions about the books condition. This is quickly becoming one of the most desired books of our time. We were skeptical until we purchased it and read it our selves.now we know why everyone enjoys holding it.however it is still hard to describe it's allure. We ship fast and secure. Size: Over Sized.

N° de réf. du vendeur 006741

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Codex Seraphinianus
• Éditeur: Abbeville Press
• Date de parution: 1983
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0896594289
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780896594289
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Illustrateur: Luigi, Serafini
• Édition: First Edition
• État de l'article: Good
• État de la jaquette: Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Art
  • First Editions

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Book by Serafini Luigi

Revue de presse

“...the book really does live up to its reputation: The drawings are in turn hilarious, disturbing, bizarre and, sometimes, just flat-out incomprehensible, but all of them are annotated in Serafini’s script.” -Dangerous Minds
 
“It’s not the sort of thing that easily lends itself to classification, but probably the most accurate way to describe it would be as an encyclopedia of an invented alien civilization...the Codex is still a disorienting and provocative vision of inscrutable otherness.” -Slate.com
 
“Codex Seraphinianus is an art book in the most direct sense—there are big, beautiful drawings accompanied by indecipherable letterforms--and it is impossible to “read” in a literal way. The text has remained a mystery all these years, and perhaps that’s part of its draw as an art object.” -FineBooks Magazine

“Is the best art book of the year one that is not only impossible for me to review, but one that is probably equally impossible for you to understand? It’s a handsome, hilarious and enduring puzzle that not only features wonderful art in it, but in its entirety captures another kind of human creativity—the encyclopedia, the result of compiling and collecting, and an unlikely medium for artists.” -North Adams Transcript

"Codex Seraphinianus: History’s Most Bizarre and Beautiful Encyclopedia, Brought Back to Life...a weird and wonderful masterpiece of art and philosophical provocation on the precipice of the information age....Undoubtedly one of the most intricate and beautiful art books ever created." -Brain Pickings

“Wow. One of the strangest and most beautiful books ever published.” –Faerie Tales
 
“Codex Seraphinianus is in a sense the most elaborate book of doodles ever made. What makes it much more than that is not just the quality of Serafini’s drawings and the superior book-making craft, but its brilliant structure. Part of the genius of the Codex is that there is enough information to be familiar but not enough to make any sense.” –Spectrum Culture
 
“The intense strangeness of Codex Seraphinianus belies the joyous feel of the artistry. Even the oddest, most unnerving images are rendered with pastel beauty, and a softness that makes them almost endearing.” –KQED