- Paperback: 644 pages
- Publisher: Hme Publishing (April 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9197270504
- ISBN-13: 978-9197270502
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.2 x 3.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 998 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #368,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
A decidedly offbeat but way-cool resource. -- USA Today, August 4, 1998
Strange sign? 'Symbols' can help. Browsing is richly rewarded. -- New York Times, February 4, 1999
There is nothing else quite like this well-researched work. -- Library Journal, 1991
Strange sign? 'Symbols' can help. Browsing is richly rewarded. -- New York Times, February 4, 1999
There is nothing else quite like this well-researched work. -- Library Journal, 1991
Book Description
Symbols--Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms contains approximately 2,500 Western signs. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed. The signs range from ideograms carved in mammoth teeth by Cro-Magnon men to modern corporate logos and subway graffiti.
A unique system for classifying signs according to graphic structure lets the reader look up the meaning of any sign in seconds. A comprehensive Word Index and a large number of cross-references throughout the book make it equally easy to find signs that are related to each other.
In addition, this edition contains 100 pages of in-depth articles on topics that are especially interesting from a symbologist's point-of-view -- such as the Mystical Pentagram, the Polarity of Meanings of Elementary Graphs, the Astrological System of Symbols, ancient American ideograms, and the signs of the Alchemists.
This book serves both as a resource for professionals and a general reference tool for anyone interested in our graphic cultural heritage.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful,
By A Customer
This review is from: Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms (Paperback)
This book is a visually rich resource, providing the reader with 2,500 graphically clear drawings of signs in black and white, alongside with Carl G. Liungman's explanations of their origin and uses. Browsing the pages is rewarding for the artist looking for inspiration. There is plenty of it -- the book contains some 1,600 articles, and an additional 100 pages with essays on ubiquitous/especially interesting signs or sign systems (such as the Mystical Pentagram, or the signs of the Alchemists).The explanations are usually to the point, although I find that Liungman occasionally strays too far away from the subject at hand. The sections about the astrological systems of signs are particularly abundant in information, and would have gained from being more carefully edited. The selection of signs, however, is excellent; it even includes modern ideograms from the Internet age, such as the At sign. Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms really excels when it comes to searching for signs that the reader does not yet know the name of. Using a taxonomy scheme of his own, Liungman has classified the signs into 54 distinctive groups. The reader can navigate to any of the groups simply by describing the sign in terms of "Crossing lines/Not crossing lines", "Single-axis symmetric/Asymmetric" and so on. A quick glance at the right group overview page is all it takes to find the right match. This book is highly recommended.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful,
By Maria - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms (Paperback)
This book is a visually rich resource, providing the reader with 2,500 graphically clear drawings of signs in black and white, alongside with Carl G. Liungman's explanations of their origin and uses. Browsing the pages is rewarding for the artist looking for inspiration. There is plenty of it -- the book contains some 1,600 articles, and an additional 100 pages with essays on ubiquitous/especially interesting signs or sign systems (such as the Mystical Pentagram, or the signs of the Alchemists).The explanations are usually to the point, although I find that Liungman occasionally strays too far away from the subject at hand. The sections about the astrological systems of signs are particularly abundant in information, and would have gained from being more carefully edited. The selection of signs, however, is excellent; it even includes modern ideograms from the Internet age, such as the At sign. Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms really excels when it comes to searching for signs that the reader does not yet know the name of. Using a taxonomy scheme of his own, Liungman has classified the signs into 54 distinctive groups. The reader can navigate to any of the groups simply by describing the sign in terms of "Crossing lines/Not crossing lines", "Single-axis symmetric/Asymmetric" and so on. A quick glance at the right group overview page is all it takes to find the right match. This book is highly recommended. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK but still worth buying,
By Saden Shard "Wyrm" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms (Paperback)
I was inbetween 3 and 4 on this. It is a really good reference but it doesn't really give that much information for any of the symbols that it lists and it's not quite a complete list but still worth buying.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reference Guide,
By vgmaster831 "vgmaster831" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms (Paperback)
This is a fantastic reference guide for symbols that we encounter in every day life. It is also useful if one wants to use symbols in a creative or meaningful way. I suggest getting it if one is often curious about the meaning of certain pictures and symbols or if one likes to use symbols in their works.
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