The printing press changed the shape of the world by making knowledge available to everyone with basic literacy. The latest book-related technology probably won’t alter the course of human history, but it will bring happiness to bibliophiles everywhere. Iowa State University college student Brady Whitney has created a wooden book filled with puzzles that readers must solve to learn the next piece of the story.
Each of the five pages of the Codex Silenda features a different type of puzzle. You’ll start with a Mechanical Iris, navigate a Rotating Maze, solve the Geneva Gears, align the Paradox Sliders and end with the Cryptex Lock. After each puzzle is completed, a new section of story will appear. You can even customize the text yourself to create a perfect anniversary, birthday or graduation gift. T-shirts and coasters with puzzle designs are also available.
Whitney originally designed the project as part of a senior thesis project for his university. He never expected it to grow as quickly as it did or to sell out after just six hours on Kickstarter, but he’s ready to tackle the demand. With over $210,000 currently pledged to his design studio, he’s hired an assistant and is hard at work creating pages for all of his waiting fans. He has over 400 orders to fill before he can start offering the Codex Silenda to the general public, but he hopes to eventually design even more creative puzzle books and make them available to anyone who wants one.
This puzzle book is a great gift for book lovers, engineers and puzzle masters of all ages. It’s also a great way to entice reluctant readers and kinesthetic learners into enjoying the written world. The Codex Silenda is currently not available in stores or through Kickstarter, as Whitney’s team must hand carve and assemble every page of every book. However, given the demand for this innovative toy, new orders will probably be available soon. Whitney also encourages those interested in getting their hands on the Codex Silenda to continue watching his Kickstarter page in case other backers cancel their reservation.
