Written by Italian architect and designer Luigi Serafini over thirty months between 1976-78, the book is approximately 360 pages long and is by all estimates appears to be an encyclopedia of an unknown, almost alien world. The language in which the book is written is remains totally undeciphered; but not through lack of trying - linguists have analysed it for decades without success. The Codex is often described as the 'weirdest book in the world'.
The Codex is divided into eleven chapters, partitioned into two sections. The first section appears to describe the natural world, dealing with flora, fauna, and physics. The second deals with the humanities, the various aspects of human life: clothing, history, cuisine, architecture and so on. Each chapter seems to treat a general encyclopedic topic.
Graphically, the illustrations are often surreal parodies of things in our world: bleeding fruit; a plant that grows into roughly the shape of a chair and is subsequently made into one; and a lovemaking couple that metamorphoses into a crocodile. Others depict odd, apparently senseless machines, often with a fragile appearance, kept together by tiny filaments. There are also illustrations readily recognisable as maps or human faces. On the other hand, especially in the 'physics' chapter, many images look almost completely abstract. Practically all figures are brightly coloured and rich in detail.
Amazon.com has a copy of the Codex on sale for a mere $550, as does Internet Bookshop Italia for just €8,900 ($12,500?). Tempting.
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