As is the case with Luigi Serafini’s Codex Seraphinianus Franco Maria Ricci (1981) edition, Pulcinellopedia Piccola is extremely scarce (only 5000 copies) and incredibly valuable. It is written in Italian text by Serafini’s imaginative co-author, “P. Cetrulo,” and contains over sixty extraordinary pencil illustrations (approx. 9.5″ x 12.5″), some depicted in comic strip style. It was published by Longanesi & C., Milano in 1984, and it is wrapped in a half-slipcase.
In the customary, Luigi Serafini fashion, Pulcinellopedia is filled with baffling and unseemly illustrations that require much thorough examination and inference to decipher what exactly the artist is intending to portray. It is divided into nine scenes, and features the character of Pulcinella or Punch. This odd and surreal figure of the 17th-century, is widely recognized and loved around the globe, mainly in the European countries. Always dressed in white, often singing about love, hunger and money with a characteristically extra long nose, is depicted as a symbol of vivid sensuality.
Copies of Pulcinellopedia are immensely valuable and sought after, and they have been pricing around $1000. This is quite a price tag for a soft cover book that was published just a few decades ago. It is, however, reasonably priced by our estimation. Unlike Codex Seraphinianus which has been re-printed many times by various publishers in multiple countries, Pulcinellopedia has not been re-released; the original 5000 copies are all that have circulated so far. Moreover, the lack of a hardcover and the fragility of the half-slipcase design, deem remaining copies in good condition to be exceptionally valuable. Add to that Serafini’s enigmatic illustrations, and the result is a highly sought after book that is a delightfully rare and priceless annexation to any weird book collection.
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