Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems - Hardcover

Tresidder, Jack

4.1

130 ratings by Goodreads

9780811818889: Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811818888 ISBN 13: 9780811818889

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1998

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The crow spelled death for medieval Europeans, but for Native Americans it represents a guide from the spirit world. Dictionary of Symbols explores 1,000 symbols from across the world's cultures and throughout the ages. Unlike other books on the subject, it is truly comprehensive, including entries, arranged alphabetically, for everything from amaranth (a Greek symbol of immortality) to ziggurat (a temple-shaped Mesopotamian icon). Indexed, cross-referenced, and packed with over 100 drawings, this is an indispensable reference for writers, artists, and anyone intrigued by the power of primal metaphors.

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Review:

With its gorgeous layout, slick paper, catchy cover, and French flaps, the Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems is exactly what you'd expect from Chronicle Books (the publishers of Griffin and Sabine). It's a perfect gift book right down to the small trim size and new-book smell; the blue, black, and white illustrations, inset feature panels, and margin cross-references combine to make it an irresistible browse.

Romp through the alphabetic arrangement for access to informative histories of hundreds of symbols, from "eleven" (which signified sin to St. Augustine but fecundity to African shamans) to "trickster," from "mistletoe" to "monkey" to "mimosa" (the certainty of resurrection in Western traditions). Consult the "Index of Supplementary Words" to track down the hoards of additional terms that are referenced in main entries.

Beware that the two-column layout detracts somewhat from the clarity of the text (the writing is too dense to be read easily in short lines), and that no bibliographic citations are included. For a less beautiful, more academic option, consider the Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons and the Meanings Behind Them. But is it a combination of entertainment and erudition that you seek? Then there's no need to look any further. --Elizabeth Briskin

About the Author:

Jack Tresidder was born and educated in New Zealand. A writer and art historian, he now lives in a remote valley in the French Alps.

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