Secret Book

The Secret Book by artist Josh Sarantitis is located on the side of the Free Library of Philadelphia Annex Building near the Parkway Central Branch in Philadelphia’s Franklintown neighborhood. Created for the inner-city literacy campaign Philadelphia Reads, this piece explores the world of imagination made available through reading. The central figure, a young woman, reads a line from William Shakespeare’s Henry IV: “And now I shall unclasp a secret book.” Objects from the girl’s imagined world swirl above her head: flowers growing from the building with eyes on their leaves, galaxies, landscapes, and fantastical flying creatures.

Although the composition is primarily representational, Sarantitis was also concerned with how the lines, light, and color intersected on an abstract level. He used a grid system to create the background and photo projection on ono-woven media to create the children’s figures which were then adhered directly to the wall.

The books are created of three-dimensional cast concrete. Bronze sheet-metal letters along the side of the mural spell out “Philadelphia READS”, a nod to the literacy program.