Entropia: A Collection of Unusually Rare Stamps

by Christian Lorenz Scheurer, Scott Robertson (Editor)

Welcome to the fascinating world of Entropia.

Entropia: A Collection of Unusually Rare Stamps is a uniquely crafted storybookfor all ages. Through a full-length narrative accompanied by 60 beautifully illustrated imaginary stamps, readers are taken on an unforgettable journey to a fantastic world.

"It is lunar year 1001, and Entropia City is ravaged by an inexplicable kitchen fire. In the ensuing chaos, the Childish Robot Czar and his Animatronic Shock Troops seize power and oust the royal family for nearly a decade."

This is the story of Queen Pingo the Young and her unwavering pursuit to end occupation and bring justice to all sentient beings. This is also the testimony of a country named Entropia, with its traditions, inhabitants, and historic milestones masterfully documented through a collection of unusually rare stamps.

Genres: Art

126 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dannieg4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of a wonderful world of Entropia, from the courageous princess to the mistreated Moonfarmers. This is the one book I'll keep for years to come.

[Cbphoenix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I'm going against the crowd on this one. As an artist and admirer of postage stamps, I was very excited about this book. However, it was very disappointing to me. I LOVE the idea of it, but I felt that the author/artist could have gone MUCH farther than he did with both the story and the art.

The story was nothing original at all. The conflicts, details, etc. are just what you would find in almost any other tale, with name changes and a few different details. And the art was just pictures matching the descriptions rather than what would normally be depicted on an actual postage stamp. Because postage stamps are small and have to be condensed versions of the story they are telling, the art must be top notch. While I liked the art, there was too much going on in each picture to allow me to believe it was actually a postage stamp.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

The book tells the story of planet Entropia through stamps. It's like those limited edition collectible stamp books published by post offices from time to time, except the stamps here are larger and unusable (unless you're on Entropia). The 128-page book is slightly larger than a DVD case but presented horizontally.

Inside are 60 stamps created with ink and watercolour. That's one stamp per page printed on a black background, with the accompanying text on the page beside. It's written like a travel guide or postcard, touching on topics like famous produce in areas, the culture of inhabitants, historical events, failed government experiments (e.g. float cities with balloons), snapshots of life and other very interesting stories.

The art is beautiful, but it's the stories that really give the book depth. It's positively creative and enjoyable to read. Highly recommended.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a huge surprise for me. I bought it because I truly believed it was a picture book filled with lovely collectible stamp artwork. Well...it's a great draw to get unsuspecting "coffee table" book buyers to own a copy. I stayed up one night to look at it...only to actually read it. It completely fooled me and I was a happy fool. From the first beautifully drawn stamp, there is an introduction (to which you would believe would be some sort of preface to the collection), but in actuality pulls you in completely to a science-fictional fantasy world. You learn about this world's culture, ecosystem, rich history, and important figures. I don't want to give too much away, but the little snippets of factoids captioning each stamp, tease you just enough to yearn for the whole story. And that's what's fascinating. You never know more than what is shared, but it piques your curiosity so much. Aside from engaging, I found it pretty amusing, especially a mention on croissants and how this "delicacy" destroyed the health of a population because no one could resist its buttery, flaky taste. Enjoy. Laugh, Be Delighted.

[Jlawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

An artbook presented as a collection of stamps from the imaginary world of Entropia, each stamp commemorating a particular location, bit of lore, person, or slice of recent history of the land. Short explanatory text accompanies each stamp, successively laying out the tale of the recent Queen Pingo the Young, among other things.

The artwork is great (see some pics of it on this blog), and the story, though is some cases dealing with war and death, mostly stays on the whimsical side (I loved the idea of 'The Secret Guild of Croissant Bakers' and the minicows), and achieves this without being cloying. A fun, creative indulgence.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I found myself disappointed by the fact that there's no real storyline in this book. However, as I continued I slowly fell in love with Entropia. The art work is stunning and some of the premises are really clever and some even hilariously so. I found myself laughing out loud on a few occasions.
The more articles you read, the more you'll get a feel for the world. And eventually you'll even catch a glimpse of a story after all.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves illustrations and is up for a quirky little read.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far more beautiful than I thought anything of the like could ever be. Really enjoyed the tiny stories. I think my favorites by far were The Independent Whale Cities of the Deep and Nepummuk's River Symphony Deluxe.