You already know the feeling.
You stand in a shop — or scroll for forty minutes — looking for something that will actually mean something. Not a bottle of wine. Not a voucher. Not another gadget that will be forgotten by February. You want to give something that says: I know what you love, and I found something worthy of it.
For the person in your life who loves history, who reads seriously, who has strong opinions about how things work and why civilisations rise and fall — there is now an obvious answer.
The Codex: Inventions of the Human Mind.
A 350-page illustrated encyclopedia of humanity's greatest inventions. Hand-drawn by 12 Ukrainian artists in a style inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks. Printed on 160gsm archival paper with a foil-stamped hardcover, silver-edged pages, and a protective slipcase.
It is the most striking object most people have ever held. And unlike almost every "coffee table book" ever given as a gift — it gets read. Deeply, repeatedly, obsessively.
Why this is not like the last "beautiful book" you gave
You've probably bought a beautiful book before. Large format. Stunning photography. Lovely on the shelf.
And it sat on the shelf...
The difference with The Codex is the illustrations. They are not photographs. They are not digital renders. They are hand-drawn medieval-style diagrams — the same visual language Leonardo da Vinci used in his notebooks — packed with such density and detail that a reader can spend an hour on a single page and still find things they missed.
Each invention is shown as it would have been understood in its era. The printing press looks like a diagram from 1490. The telescope like a sketch from Galileo's workbench. The steam engine like a technical drawing from Watt's own hand.
For someone who loves history, this is not decoration. It is immersion. There is always more to find. That is why it gets read — and reread — instead of displayed and forgotten.
"He opened it on Christmas morning and didn't speak for twenty minutes. Then he looked up and said it was the best gift he'd received in thirty years. He has read it three times since January."
Claire M., verified buyer, Dublin — gift for her husband.
What makes someone with everything say "where has this been?"
The people who receive The Codex as a gift tend to react the same way. Not with polite enthusiasm — with genuine, slightly startled delight. The kind of reaction you only get when a gift is exactly right and completely unexpected.
Here is why it lands so hard on this particular person:
History lovers have usually read enough to know that the standard illustrated histories are shallow. The Codex is not shallow. It goes inside the mechanisms. It shows the how — not just the what and the when. For someone who has spent forty years reading about the industrial revolution, seeing the steam engine drawn from the inside is a completely new experience.
People who have everything are almost always people who are very particular about quality. They can feel the difference between 80gsm and 160gsm paper without knowing the numbers. They notice the foil on the cover. They feel the weight of the slipcase. The Codex is the rare gift that meets the standard of someone who has refined taste and already owns the things they want.
Men who don't ask for things are often the hardest to buy for precisely because they have quietly given up on the idea that anyone will get it right. The Codex gets it right. Not because it's expensive. Because it's intelligent.
The story behind it makes it worth more
A gift that comes with a story is worth more than a gift without one. The Codex has one of the most remarkable origin stories in recent publishing.
It was created by 12 Ukrainian illustrators during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Not in spite of the war — during it. Some worked from temporary shelters. Some continued through rolling blackouts, candles on their desks, not knowing when the power would return. The project was led by Vlad Khvyshchuk, who refused to let the invasion pause what he had started.
They launched a Kickstarter in November 2024 with a goal of $5,000. They raised $508,241 from 5,327 backers in 44 days. The book sold out twice before the current print run.
When you give The Codex, you are giving something made by extraordinary people under extraordinary circumstances — people who chose to create something beautiful and permanent for the world while their own country was under attack. That is the kind of provenance that a serious, thoughtful person understands and values. It is not a mass-produced object. It is a document of human determination, dressed as a book about human invention.
That story is worth telling when you hand it over. We promise it lands.
"I bought it for my father's 70th birthday. He's a retired engineer who has read everything about the industrial revolution. He called me the day it arrived to tell me it was the most interesting book he'd owned since university. He's 70. That's not a sentence he uses lightly."
I didn’t expect much, to be honest!
Then I opened this HUGE book.
The first thing I noticed was the weight. Then the detail. I stood there flipping through a few pages and realised I wasn’t just looking at it, I was actually reading. I ended up sitting down and losing track of time. That doesn’t usually happen to me with gifts. My wife really got me what I wanted for so long!
I thought it would be another book I’d appreciate and put aside.
Well, it wasn’t.
I opened it and immediately saw how much work had gone into it. The drawings, the way everything is explained, it felt… serious.
I spent the evening going through it page by page.
It’s one of the few gifts I’ve had where I actually wanted to keep reading the next day. My daughter gave me The Codex for my 65th birthday. It was exactly the right gift.”
The Codex: Inventions of the Human Mind
350 pages illustrated encyclopedia made for families who want something real on their bookshelf. This is not a children's book. It's a book for curious minds — at any age.
- Made by 12+ Ukrainian Artists
- Perfect Gift
- Arrives gift-ready in premium box
- Meaningful Family Time
Questions You Ask
Will it arrive in time for a birthday or occasion?
UK and European orders typically arrive in 5–8 business days. US orders in 1–5 business days. If you have a specific date, order at least 7 days ahead to be safe. Every order ships with tracking. If you are ordering internationally for a tight deadline, contact us at support@rebel-thinkers.com and we will do everything we can to help.
Can I include a personal message?
No wrapping needed. The Codex arrives in its own protective slipcase inside a premium gift box — it is presentation-ready straight out of the shipping box. Many customers hand it over exactly as it arrives. The packaging alone communicates that what is inside is serious and considered. It is one less thing to do, and it looks better than most wrapping anyway.
What if they already have it?
The Codex sold out twice before the current print run and is not widely known outside the communities that discovered it on Kickstarter. The likelihood they already own it is very low. But if they do, return it within 30 days for a full refund — no questions.
Is this actually read, or will it sit on the shelf?
This is the right question to ask. The honest answer: it depends on the person. For someone who loves history and how things work — genuinely loves it, not casually — The Codex is not decoration. It is the most interesting thing on their shelf. Every verified review we have received describes the recipient reading it, not displaying it. But we cannot guarantee it for every person. What we can guarantee is that if it doesn't work, you get your money back.
