Sometimes, if you take a closer look at a tree trunk, you may be able to see letters. This swirly script forms part of The Secret Book of Lichens, the pages of which are scattered across the entire forest. Although many plants and animals have tried to read what is written in it, none have ever managed to assemble those mysterious symbols into any kind of cohesive sentence, or even a single word for that matter.
This book is a walk through the mind and imagination of lichens spread across the forest. The short stories tell of lichen love, their mathematics, values and other important things. These compound creatures are never alone and know great ways to make friends. Perhaps that’s why, when looking at lichens, people understood what symbiosis is – knowing how to live together. Composed of allied fungus and algae, these creatures have special powers – for example, they can easily survive in space and melt rocks. And this one particularly special lichen, Graphis scripta, was even called the script of the forest.
The Secret Book of Lichens / Slaptoji kerpių knyga
by Kristupas Sabolius
Illustrations: Aistė Ambrazevičiūtė
Design: Goda Budvytytė
Editor: Jurga Daubaraitė
Copy-editor and translator: Alexandra Bondarev
Proofreader: Gemma Lloyd
Publisher: Kirvarpa Books
Printer: Petro ofsetas, Vilnius
English Edition: 500
ISBN 978-609-96209-2-3
Lithuanian Edition: 1000
ISBN 978-609-96209-1-6
Supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture