Codex Seraphinianus Hardcover – October 29, 2013

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.

I'll start with the obvious and explicable: this is a large, hefty book. The cover has embossed glossy parts; there's no dust jacket. The pages are a matte cream paper with a texture; it's a little thin, so frequently the content on the reverse page shows through like a shadow. I would have preferred thicker paper, but the coloured pencil illustrations are clear and vibrant.The endpapers are vivid yellow and there's a pocket at the end with the Decodex, a booklet with a brief essay from Serafini translated into several languages. It explains a little of the Codex's background, and reveals the muse who may have inspired it. I was worried that any (readable) text would either squelch the mystery or come across as pretentious, but the Decodex is charming.There are complaints about a large white sticker on the back. Warm it with your breath and peel it gently away, breathing heavily on it again if it gets stuck. The warm moisture of your breath should soften the glue enough for safe removal. I can't absolutely guarantee this method, but it worked for me. Go slowly!As for the content... if you are considering buying this expensive volume, you probably already know what you're in for. This is an encyclopedia from an imaginary realm, and depicts plants, machines, people, animals and all kinds of things that ought to make no sense whatsoever, and yet somehow do. The squiggly writing is not meant to be decipherable.The Codex is whimsical without being cutesy. There are diagrams of organs, skeletons and dismembered nudes, assorted bizarre creatures and a two-page spread devoted to showing a human couple having sex while morphing into an alligator. I personally don't find any of this disturbing, but if Hieronymus Bosch is too much for you, then you won't like this either.This book inspires a kind of fascination. I look through it slowly, curious and engaged, wordlessly piecing together meanings that fall away as soon as I turn the page. It will delight people who enjoy ambiguity and creating their own interpretations. It will displease people who like to get to the bottom of meanings and are bored by things they don't understand.If you think the Codex is your cup of tea, buy it right now, even if it's backordered. It's been years since this book sold for under $100, and I would expect this edition to sell out like every other.

If you truly march to the beat of your own drummer, this book is probably going to captivate you. I had been tossing around the idea of buying Codex Seraphinianus for a few months. Reading some of the less favorable reviews here had me convinced I’d really get into this book yet without being able to see it, I was hesitant to spend the money on it. Well, today I couldn’t hold off any longer and bought it with the free same day shipping.I was not disappointed at all! If you genuinely find yourself captivated by books others call weird and strange, this is probably going to be one of your most prized purchases. I was not expecting the beautiful book that came. It is oversized and heavy. It is very well made with textured paper-I want to buy another copy to tear the pages out and plaster over my walls…that’s how intriguing this tome is. The tactile experience while drinking this surreal beauty within is quite a treat. The doodles and illustrations are beautifully rendered. From the rich, delicious colour images to the softer pastel ones, this is a feast for your eyes. The copy is unintelligible yet strangely somehow it makes crazy sense to the subconscious. As do the illustrations.This is definitely​ not a book for everybody, obviously. For those who appreciate the bizarre and very strange, this will not disappoint. I wish I bought this when I first became aware of it. As you take the book out of the box & carefully remove the shrink wrap, check reality at the door before entering, you won't be disappointed.