CryptoPunks Collection to Appear in 800-Page Book Documenting Phenomenal Rise

Phaidon will release 'CryptoPunks: Free to Claim', the first and only comprehensive book featuring all 10,000 punks ever created, along with a detailed look at how digital collectibles became a cultural phenomenon.

In an October 16 press release received by crypto.news, global publisher Phaidon announced the upcoming release of “CryptoPunks: Free to Claim,” a book written and compiled by creative director Zak Kyes, the media and style company of life web3 Yuga Labs and conceived by Zak Group.

The book will be available to order in December for $100 US, $135 Canadian, £49.95 UK and €89.95. A limited version will be available for CryptoPunk owners with the word “HOLDER” printed on the edge.

The book will be the first of its kind to showcase CryptoPunk's 10,000 unique non-fungible token characters compiled in print, presenting the type, attributes, pixel color, and string data of each Punk in the form of an Image Hash.

Artist Simon Denny placed each punk into miniature icons on pages made of tear-off blotting paper. The book has a full timeline woven into it, with excerpts from community members' posts and time-stamped tweets.

“CryptoPunks: Free to Claim” also includes interviews with key figures who were instrumental in the rise of CryptoPunks, such as founders Matt Hall and John Watkinson, and artistic director Hans Ulrch Obrich.

Their glossary includes over a hundred web3 terms, courtesy of industry pioneers such as Beeple, Emily Segal, and Venkatesh Rao.

Some prominent figures and experts in digital art, design, fashion and the fashion space wrote texts or designed images for this book, including Anika Meier, Gmoney, Mindy Seu, Chris Lyons (a16z), Salome Asega or NEW INC , New Models, Shumon. Basar, Martina Tiefenthaler, Michael Connor or Rhizome, Jack Butcher and 6529.

This book aims to capture the rich history of these digital icons through a series of texts, interviews, and visual essays that illustrate the widespread cultural impact of CryptoPunks on crypto Art and how it will continue to be relevant for years to come.

First released on June 23, 2017, CryptoPunks or Punks is a set of 10,000 uniquely generated 24 x 24 pixel avatars inspired by the London punk scene of the 80s and cyberpunk of the 90s.

CryptoPunks started as free to claim nfts, hence the title of the book. Due to high demand, CryptoPunks began to be bought and sold as digital collectibles, with prices ranging from thousands to millions of dollars per piece. Since the Punks began selling, they have generated over $2.3 billion in cumulative sales.

Some CryptoPunks have even sold for millions of dollars at auctions hosted by Christie's and Sotheby's, and have become permanent collections at art institutions such as ICA Miami, Center Pompidou, and LACMA.