An Occasional (as opposed to a Periodical) font of infalliable wisdom concerning, well, mostly boardgames, books, and life as a navel-gazing pseudointellecutal thirty-year-old hip-deep in grad school.

Friday, February 23, 2007

The Codex is Mine!

My copy of the Codex Seraphinianus arrived the other day, and I've had a chance to look it over. It's very much as strange and wonderful (if that's the word) as I recall it. It's a very attractive package; a nice sturdy cover, thick textured paper, the works. No slipcase, but hey.

It's worth noting that there are some additions included. The author gave a preface (in Seraphinian, of course) and eight new pages, along with some corrections to the original text--which is an interesting concept. Also included is a pamphlet in an envelope on the inside back cover called the "Decodex," which reprints several reviews and notices from when the book originally came out 25 years ago. Oddly, neither the book nor the Decodex includes Italo Calvino's preface to the second printing back in the eighties. I've always wanted to read that, but I haven't found a copy anywhere.

A fascinating piece of art, in all respects.