The Codex Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of Alchimie du Verbe, An Assembly-Exchange

In celebration of the 5th CODEX Symposium, the 10th anniversary of the CODEX Foundation, and the 500th anniversary of the death of Aldus Manutius - we are pleased to announce Alchimie du Verbe, the first ever CODEX Assembly-Exchange, a carefully curated collection of printed works from some of the finest book artists and printers in the world.

From the earliest written record there have been instances of allegorical figures, shaped language, secret codes, and philosophical alphabets. We have seen the brilliant De laudibus sanctae crucis of Hrabanus Maurus in the 9th century and the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili in the 15th century. In the last 150 years, Arthur Rimbaud's Alchimie du Verbe, Guillaume Apollinaire's Calligrammes, Brazilian concrete poetry, and the mesostics of John Cage are noted examples. In the present context, the artwork of Karen Bleitz, Martha Hellion, Russell Maret, and Harry and Sandra Reese, as illustrated in this brochure, are exemplary.

The book as a spiritual instrument has long been associated with the ancient alchemical tradition of the transformation of self and matter. From the Utriusque Cosmi... of Robert Fludd in the 17th Century to the Neo Emblemata Nova of Daniel Kelm in the 21st, the alchemist has remained a vital metaphor in understanding the works of the creative imagination.

The pieces within this modern Alchimie du Verbe range from traditional private press and playful typographic experimentation to contemporary avant-garde. In other words - a collection truly representative of the CODEX bibliosphere - presenting an international and inclusive view of the book arts as practiced by some of the finest artists and printers working in the field. The symbolic imagination is a constant force in the art and thought of all ages and cultures. In the spirit of the internal bibliosphere and the studium codex, we raise a glass to the typographic imagination and the poetical alphabet.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Walter Bachinski and Janis Butler, Victoria Bean, Karen Bleitz, Carolee Campbell, Aaron Cohick, Crispin & Jan Elsted, Nacho Gallardo, Martha Hellion, Sarah Horowitz, Mikhail Karasik, Peter Rutledge Koch, Patricia Lagarde, Clemens-Tobias Lange, Alan Loney, Peter Malutzki & Ines von Ketelhodt, Russell Maret, Rick Myers, Didier Mutel, Robin Price, Harry Reese & Sandra Liddell Reese, Dmitry Sayenko, Veronika Schäpers, Gaylord Schanilec, Johannes Strugalla & Francoise Despalles, Richard Wagener, and Sam Winston.

EDITION
Thirty are designated hors de commerce for distribution to the participants. Forty numbered copies are offered for sale.

DIMENSIONS
printed pieces: roughly A4 (8.25" x 11.75")
box: 8.75" x 12.5" x 2.25"

MEDIA
The printed works on Paper were made using a variety of methods, including: letterpress, screen print, hand-set type, photopolymer, wood type, silver-gelatin, intaglio, inkjet, and wood engraving. The papers are equally diverse, including: Barcham Green, Zerkall, and Magnani. From handmade to industrial; gossamer-thin to heavyweight; kozo, cotton, and more. The designs range from broadsides to chapbooks to folded folios. Each work is wrapped in Kawashi paper donated by Hiromi Paper. The complete set is housed in a handmade box from John DeMerritt Bookbinder.

COLLECTORS
Alexander Turnbull Library of New Zealand
Auckland City Library
Brigham Young University
Columbia University
Herzog August Bibliothek
Indiana University Libraries, Lilly Library
IUPUI Herron Art Library
Lafayette College
Letterform Archive
Library of Congress, Special Collections
National Library of the Netherlands
San Francisco Public Library
Scripps College
Stanford University Library
State Library of Victoria
Swarthmore College
University of Alberta
University of Arizona
University of Auckland
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
University of California, Los Angeles, Clark Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Melbourne
University of San Francisco, Gleeson Library