Phaidon launches “CryptoPunks: Free to Claim,” the first and only comprehensive book to include all 10,000 punks ever, along with a detailed look at how digital collectibles became a cultural phenomenon.
In an October 16 press release received by crypto.news, global publishing house Phaidon announced the upcoming release of “CryptoPunks: Free to Claim,” a book written and curated by creative director Zak Kyes, web3 lifestyle and media company Yuga Labs and invented by Zakgroep.
The book can be ordered in December for $100 USD, $135 CAN, £49.95 UK and €89.95 EUR. A limited version will be available to CryptoPunk owners, with the word e”HOLDER” printed on the edge.
The book will be the first of its kind to showcase all of CryptoPunk’s 10,000 unique non-fungible token characters in print, with each Punk’s type, attributes, pixel color, and on-chain data in the form of Image Hash.
Artist Simon Denny placed each punk in miniature icons on pages made of tear-out tissue paper. The book includes an extensive timeline, with excerpts from community members’ posts and time-stamped tweets.
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“CryptoPunks: Free to Claim” also features interviews with key figures who played an important role in the rise of CryptoPunks, such as founders Matt Hall and John Watkinson, and artistic director Hans Ulrch Obrich.
The glossary is filled with over a hundred Web3 terms, courtesy of industry pioneers like Beeple, Emily Segal, and Venkatesh Rao.
Some leading figures and experts from the digital art, design, fashion and fashion world wrote texts or designed visuals for this book, including Anika Meier, Gmoney, Mindy Seu, Chris Lyons (a16z), Salome Asega of NEW INC, New Models , Shumon Basar, Martina Tiefenthaler, Michael Connor of Rhizome, Jack Butcher and 6529.
Book cover for CryptoPunks: Free to Claim, published by Phaidon | Source: Phaidon
This book aims to capture the rich history of these digital icons through a series of texts, interviews and visual essays that illustrate CryptoPunk’s widespread cultural impact on Crypto Art and how it will remain relevant in the years to come.
First launched on June 23, 2017, CryptoPunks or Punks is a set of 10,000 uniquely generated 24 x 24 pixel avatars inspired by London’s 80s punk scene and 90s cyberpunk.
CryptoPunks started out as free to claim NFTs, hence the title of the book. Due to high demand, CryptoPunks were increasingly bought and sold as digital collectibles, with prices ranging from thousands to millions of dollars each. Since the Punks started selling, they have generated a total of more than $2.3 billion in sales.
Some CryptoPunks have even sold for millions of dollars at auctions hosted by Christie’s and Sotheby’s, and are included in permanent collections at art institutions such as ICA Miami, Center Pompidou and LACMA.
A special limited edition will be available to CryptoPunk owners, with the word “Holder” printed on the edge of the book pages | Source: Phaidon
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