The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin)

This is an amazing book -- it covers symbolism, but it also a functions as a book of world folklore and mythology. It's nearly 1,200 pages and the entries are quite extensive. For example, there are about nine pages on "stone," five pages on "egg," a full page on "dew." But even more obscure items like "termite" gets four paragraphs, "comb" gets two, "porcupine" gets eight lines and "persimmon" gets six. This book takes a world perspective, showing what each symbol has meant to different cultures, religions and peoples -- these often differ. I've rarely seen a book of this type that is able to tackle both a wide range, yet give them depth as well. For example the entry on "falcon," one page, gives perspectives from Ancient Egypt, the Peruvian Incas, the Yunca Indians of Peru, the Irish, and various beliefs from the Middle Ages. There are some ancient gods and mythological and religious figures presented like Adam and Cain, and astrological signs, but thankfully these don't take up most of the book -- there are enough books on those topics already. The vast majority of this book covers _things_ like "chariot," "dog," "feather," "oil," "serpent," "throne" and "wheel" -- just to name a few. I own many books on folklore, superstition, folk belief and mythology, and I know a great book on these topics when I see one -- and this is a great book and a browser's dream. Some complain that images would have been helpful, and there aren't many pictures here, but when you're discussing something like "fox," "crown" or "satire" -- do you really need an image? I would prefer this book to have been a little larger, it is a rather small, fat book but regardless of the format the content is just beyond anything else I've seen. I would recommend "Dictionary of Symbols" as a companion volume to a book like "Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend." While the "Standard Dictionary..." is a much longer book, it opts for more depth and perhaps a bit less range than this one. Of course their purposes are slightly different. There's several dictionaries/encyclopedias of symbols out there, if you just want one, get this one.

I purchased my first copy 10 years ago and have been working with my dream symbols for nearly 20 years. I've been enticed to purchase newer ones since then with photos and graphics ( I now have nearly a dozen symbol dictionaries) -- thus I am clearly drawn to these things. However, I find there is always a trade off. Publishing costs and space taken up for these visuals means less text and less substance. So while I have an initial pleasure in perusing the ones with pictures I often find these don't really have anything to do with my dream images -- they are indeed usually intriguing works of art but not particularly helpful for serious symbol analysis. Thus the most consistently helpful symbol book, to which I always return when I seriously want to know a range of possibilities for my dream images or concepts is the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols by Chevalier, Cheerbrant and Buchanan-Brown. The authors have done a monumental work bringing so much substance to it, managed to remain relevant for decades even though it was first published in France in 1969 with the second edition in 1982, and by now reading it is like coming home. A another benefit of being all text (seriously the text is not that hard to read, the print is of excellent quality with crisp deliniations between entries, references, etc.) is that the act of researching my dream images does not itself start interfering with the memory of my own visual image, as pictures might. To each his own preference ... but for persons more experienced in working with dreams, I think the substance here will be recognized as highly valuable.

There is an enormous amount of info in this book. Considering it's a reissue as the author has passed quite some time ago couldn't they make an edition where an where an editor adds an addendum saying this wasn't made by the original author but here is an index of all of the entries? That would be easy to do/very helpful for the reader.

I love having this on my bookshelf at work so when patients discuss dreams, we can use this tool to find out more. Its a must for those curious dream conversations in therapy.

I was looking for a dictionary or an encyclopedia of symbols for the Tarot, and this book has exceeded my expectations. I looked at a number of symbol dictionaries for the Kindle, but I wanted something both comprehensive and affordable, and none of the available choices fit the bill. At 1150 pages, it's definitely comprehensive. Furthermore, while this dictionary wasn't specifically written with the Tarot in mind, it contains the information I'm looking for. All of the Major Arcana cards have their own entries (e.g. the Hanging [Hanged] Man), and the entries for the symbols and iconography found on the cards are relevant to the Tarot at the very least. The only complaint I have about the book (with tongue firmly in cheek ;-) ) is that I keep getting distracted from what I am trying to do by reading random entries. Highly recommended!!!!

This is one of my all time favorite books. This is an excellent, scholarly well researched book written decades ago and still relevant today. I previously had purchased a paperback version and wore it out after about 9 years, so I bought another and again wore it out after about 9 years. I did find an almost new hardback which I expect will last longer. You can look up just about any symbol and the information will cover what it symbolized for different cultures, religions, and even psychology. It's like learning a new language.

I had high hopes for this book was disappointed pretty quickly. I got this book to use for literary symbols, but I guess I need to look further. This book seems more focused on myth and folklore. The depth of the entries seems random, and some words/concepts I expected to be covered are missing. For instance, 'snow.' Seriously? No entry on snow?? I can think of quite a few things snow can symbolize off the top of my head. The book seems a lot older than I thought, too. The translation from the French seems to have been done in 1982, but I have the feeling that the original book was much older than that.

Very helpful in tryin to find out what irtain things mean than you have dreamed or need the certain meaning too. Very interesting.

An indispensable volume. While it shares the inherent 'boring' quality of any dictionary, its exceptional accessibility and unwavering trustworthiness make it a true treasure. This is a must-have for any philologist, general intellectual, or indeed, any dedicated seeker of knowledge. It's the kind of resource Umberto Eco would likely have pored over and appreciated immensely. Given its unparalleled utility and depth, a clear five-star rating.

Such a beautiful explanation to everything mentioned in it.

Extraordinario diccionario y llegó en excelente estado. Su traducción al español es demasiado caro (costo triplicado). La versión en inglés es óptima, en papel y pastas delgadas de buena calidad, manejable con facilidad, sin que se dañe. Es legible aunque de letra chica. Su contenido temático es de alta calidad para quien tenga intereses desde la filosofía, la cultura, la psicología, la teología y el arte.

A massive guide to the erudite stuff that modern education never explains.

Mi è piaciuto tutto la struttura e la facilità di consultazione