CODEX SERAPHINIANUS in two volumes. First edition 1981 Franco Maria Ricci SIGNED

This is the true first edition of the astonishing Codex Seraphinianus, more a work of art than a book. It is the encyclopaedia of an imaginary world, created by Luigi Serafini, and created between 1976 and 1978 by Franco Maria Ricci. Many of the first editions are still in Italy or France. This is the numbered edition 1896 from the first edition of 4000 copies, published in 1981. It is signed by the artist and contains a letter as well. The book is an encyclopedia with copious hand-drawn, colored-pencil illustrations of bizarre and fantastical flora and fauna, anatomies, fashions, and foods. It has been compared to the Voynich manuscript and the works of MC Esher and Bosch, in that its content is unexplained. The illustrations are surreal parodies of things in the real world: bleeding fruit; a plant that grows into roughly the shape of a chair and is subsequently made into one; a lovemaking couple that metamorphoses into an alligator.

Others depict odd, apparently senseless machines, often with a delicate appearance, kept together by tiny filaments. There are also illustrations readily recognizable as maps or human faces. On the other hand, especially in the physics chapter, many images look almost completely abstract.

Codex commands a devoted following in the US, although there is a surprisingly small amount of scholarship on it, especially in. Best place to start is on Wikipedia; as unreliable as Wikipedia often is, the Codexs page is well-maintained by Codex enthusiasts from the Seraphinians. Group and gives a great overview for anyone who hasnt heard of the book. Believer magazine published an in-depth article on the Codex available at.

For a scholarly treatment, there is an essay by Peter Schwenger published at. The world's weirdest book.

This is currently in London, and collectable from Soho. The item "CODEX SERAPHINIANUS in two volumes. First edition 1981 Franco Maria Ricci SIGNED" is in sale since Friday, May 27, 2016. This item is in the category "Books, Comics & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectable".

The seller is "oooomska" and is located in London. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.