Liber Novus at Last!

So Jung's Red Book finally came out this year, a private diary-like record he kept for 16 years and that was mostly unknown to the world outside of this family. The most fantastic thing about it is not the massive price tag ( $195 on the publisher's web site) but the fantastic drawings inside, drawings that reveal Jung's most intimate mental environment that he descended into in an attempt to explore and expose the unconscious.

My take on it, and granted, I'm biased because I really appreciate Jung not only for his value as counter-balance to Freud's dark world of impulse, but as a direct and indirect source of inspiration to so many authors, painters and film-makers that have delighted me over the years: This is going to be BIG. The Times already covered the book twice in less than 30 days, with extensive articles, if that's a sign of anything. But I predict that over the coming years, many will be inspired and intrigued by this book in ways not unlike the collectors' fascination with new canvasses from old masters.

On the commercial side of things - reasons why the Red Book will not make the list of best-sellers this year:

• way too expensive
• not widely accessible in bookstores
• unlikely to make a good movie, even with top shelf special effects a la Avatar
• and, finally, who is this Jung guy anyway?