Signs and Symbols

Signs & Symbols: An illustrated guide to their origins and meanings; Editorial Consultant - Miranda Bruce-Mitford for publisher Dorling Kindersley, 2008, 352 ff.An encyclopaedia of symbolsBy Howard JonesThis profusely illustrated book, in full colour on every page, is characteristic of these publishers, who specialize in so-called `coffee-table books'. There is a huge range of symbols described here - religious and tribal symbols, sacred trees, symbolic languages that use ideographs, like Chinese; other languages that do not use the letters of the English alphabet, like Arabic and Hebrew; symbols in mathematics, heraldry, art and architecture, astrological signs, I Ching and tarot used in divination, flags of the nations, body language gestures, heraldic emblems; and other symbols that humankind have created for social communication.There is not a great deal of information about each symbol, but enough that each is clearly defined and described in the appropriate context. This is not therefore so much a book to read, as such, but rather to browse or to consult for specific topics such as those I have described. I have found it fascinating and informative. At the end, there is a Glossary of some key terms, some hundred books for Further Reading, and an Index, which is in rather small print!Dr Howard A. Jones is the author of The Thoughtful Guide to God (2006) and The Tao of Holism (2008), both published by O Books of Winchester, U.K.; and The World as Spirit published by Fairhill Publishing, Whitland, West Wales, 2011.

Well laid out book, each symbol has a small summary, beautiful clear pictures making it a great reference book. Broken down into sections such as culture, religion, architecture and provides a quick over view to allow enough info to progress a more in depth study if you choose. Throughly recommended a great all rounder abd enjoyable book just to fluck though a broaden your knowledge. I purchased as i wanted some visual aids for an art project, as its hardcover it stays open to allow me to glance up and reference the picture, goid size book not to enormous to fit on a stabook shelf or in a draw.

Even after checking the "Look inside" feature in Amazon I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting. I was really looking for a book where I could look up a word in the contents, for instance power, and be directed to the relevant section for the signs and symbols, but it doesn't work like that. However, it is still a very good book - lots and lots of beautiful illustrations covering so many areas. It is divided into subject chapters like the Cosmos, Religion etc, which is helpful - I really dislike books on symbols in alphabetical order. The last chapter on Symbol Systems (like patterns, numbers and alphabets) was a really welcome surprise. I would like to see more modern references included but the subject of signs and symbols is very broad and it is difficult for any book to cover the subject fully. The book doesn't go into too much detail on any of the signs or symbols either, which suits me fine.

Good gift and thoroughly enjoyed

this is an interesting book and i would recommend it to anybody who likes the novel and or the film version of the da vinci code: i thought they were both brilliant.however some of the type in this book is wayyy toooo small for for me to read!! lol otherwise i would have given five stars instead of four.

Informative and well illustrated. Excellent value for the money. The format was good and I bought other reference books in the same format from this publisher

Very pleased with my purchase! Initially thought it would be more of a brief encyclopedia on some classic symbols, but it's so comprehensive that it blew my mind.It's informative on a large variety of signs/symbols from across the world, and I believe it can even help creative minds overcome a writer's block; every theme is approached very systematically, and it's a joy overall to see similar patterns and archetypes across different cultures.

This book is very well-made and produced and arrived in good time, the postage was also fair. I misunderstood the subject and had to return it, but that wasn’t the books fault. It was down to me, and I know if it was bought for the right person, they would be very happy with it.