Signs and Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings

by Miranda Bruce-Mitford, Nicola Hodgson, Kim Dennis-Bryan

Why is a flag at half-mast a symbol of mourning? Why do brides in the West traditionally wear white, while Asian cultures associate this color with death? Discover answers to these and other mystifying questions in Signs & Symbols, a fully-illustrated guide that helps unlock the secret language of the signs, symbols, and traditions around us. A rich source of information for readers of all ages, this book is divided into two sections, first looking at major sources of symbols (basic shapes, colors and numbers, the natural world), then, placing symbols in context of mythologies and religions, the human life cycle, people and culture, and symbol systems. Clear cross-referencing illuminates connections between symbols, while beautiful artwork and photography make this a collector's edition to treasure.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Reference, Mythology, Art, Religion, Occult

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Paperclippe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is very good as an absolute beginner's guide to the symbolism and signage of cultures, but as any sort of authoritative book, even a brief one, this is just sad. It leaves out very many important facts and correlations and in certain places borders on the downright wrong. It's good for a quick glance and really nothing more.

[Mehtap exotiquetv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welche Bedeutung haben Zeichen und Symbole und woher kommt ihr Ursprung.
In diesem Buch werden alle Symbole mit den entsprechenden Bildern hochauflösend und mit Bildunterschriften erklärt.
Von der Bedeutung von Farben, Tieren, Religionen bis Muster & Kunst wird alles abgedeckt.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe I will start including some of the books I'm going through for interest/writing research on my yearly count. This was a good collection to skim and read more deeply in areas that interested me. Learned some things I didn't know before, took some notes. Led to a number of items which would be interesting to research further.

[Anja von "books and phobia" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spätestens seit ich die ersten Bücher von Dan Brown gelesen hatte, entwickelte sich bei mir doch ein reges Interesse an den verschiedenen Zeichen & Symbolen, welche wir tagtäglich sehen. Um so mehr freute ich mich als ich dieses Buch sah, da ich aus der Reihe bereits die Ausgabe mit den Mythen & Sagen kannte und sie unglaublich gut fand.


Die Aufmachung hatte sich auf jeden Fall recht wenig geändert, was in dem Fall sogar gut war, da hier viel Wissen mit vielen Bilder vermittelt wurde. Zwar waren die Texte auch diesmal wieder sehr wissenschaftlich, aber da sie kurz und knapp gehalten wurden, eben doch eine sehr angenehme Lektüre. Mehr als einmal staunte ich dabei nicht schlecht, welche Bedeutung Zahlen, Tiere oder gar Schmuck haben können. Wer also den kleinen Robert Langdon in sich begeistern möchte, dürfte hier auf jeden Fall seine Neugier befriedigt bekommen.
Der einzige Haken am Buch ist tatsächlich die Knappheit der Beschreibungen. Auf Grund der vielen Themen war es natürlich nicht möglich alle bis ins letzte Detail zu beschreiben. Das war etwas schade, besonders wenn ein interessantes Gebiet nach einer Seite schon zu Ende war. Hier hätte man vielleicht mehrere kleinere Bücher herausbringen können, welche die einzelnen Bereiche ausführlicher beschreiben.


Sonst bleibt mir nicht mehr viel über das Buch zu sagen, da es ab der ersten Seite wirklich interessante Themen ansprach und dabei optisch wirklich immer etwas für die Augen bot. Damit meine ich übrigens nicht nur die Vielzahl an Bildern, sondern auch die kleinen Details, wie gezeichnete Spuren an den Seitenrändern. Ich mochte dies total, da es dem Buch einen gewissen Charme gab und man sich sogar die Mühe gemacht hat, verschiedene Spuren zu erstellen. Somit sah jede Seite immer etwas anders aus.


Dieses Buch packte und überraschte mich mit einem Wissen, welches sich immer öfter in meinem Alltag bemerkbar macht. Egal ob Zahlen, die Natur an sich oder unser eigener Körper, überall verstecken sich kleine Symbole und Zeichen, die unterschiedlich interpretiert werden können und ihre eigene Geschichte haben. Wer sich dafür interessiert, dürfte hier einen echten Durstlöcher für die eigene Neugier erhalten, der optisch und inhaltlich einfach überzeugen kann.

[Mahdi Sharifi]

کتاب واقعا مفیدیه. تو زندگی روزمره به خیلی از نماد ها بر میخوریم و حتی برخی از حالات نمادین رو تو رفتارمون نشون می دیم که ریشه یا معنای اصلی اونو نمیدونیم؛ این کتاب منبع اطلاعاتی خوبی برای شناخت این نماد هاست.

[Floor tussendeboeken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pulled this from a Free Little Library in Oslo, with the intention to just flip through it and bring it back before our trip was over. However, once giving it a closer look, it was more interesting to me than I thought it would. So I ended up reading it all the way through over the course of 10 months and taking it home with me to The Netherlands.

This book does what it says on the thin: Giving an overview of all signs and symbols you can think of and explain their symbollic meanings. I will keep this on my shelves to use it whenever I need a refreshment of a sign or symbol.

[Özlem Güzelharcan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tasarım ve baskı olarak inanılmaz güzellikte bir kitap ama işindeki bilgiler oldukça kısa ve anlatım yüzeysel kalmış.

[Aurore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with this one. The pictures in it are great, but it greatly lacks depth.
A nice read-through in a library, but not necessary for a book collection.

[Teresa Barrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this book on my shelf for a long while and finally decided to read it.
I enjoyed all the information and art throughout. Learned some new things which I always enjoy. I do wish there was a little more information, but all in all an interesting read.

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overview of symbols throughout the ages, classified by type.

I skimmed through this hoping it would have details of Celtic symbols it was very frustratingly classified by types like plants, or birds with only basic explanations of each. An interesting book but not what I was looking for.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Както е модерно да се казва - плачааа... Кога ще си го имам това в библиотеката T_T Много добро издание, направо да му се ненаситиш. Подробно и богато илюстровано, фен съм.

[ᚦᛟᚱ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"it's a sign alright, a sign we're going out of business" -Ghostbusters

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very visual book presenting the information through many beautiful illustrations, with annotations to help decode the meaning of the larger & more detailed pieces. It certainly is an inspirational work & were I able to devote more time to research, I would probably buy it to dip into.

The book is divided up into sections beginning with the Cosmos, which covers the visible planets & their satellites, natural phenomena like weather & the seasons plus a few on gold & precious stones; The Natural World, which breaks down into various animals, plants & fruit; Human Life; Myths & Religions; Society & Culture & lastly Symbol Systems (including writing, heraldry, flags, brands & logos).

It is certainly a valiant attempt to cover a vast range of information, hence the necessary brevity of each entry.

I imagine that this book would be helpful for artists, historians, spiritual seekers, researchers of the origins of myths & legends as well as a feast for the eyes of the casual reader.

It is not a 'cover to cover' read, but provides a framework for investigating your particular interest, although there may be references to the same concepts on several pages as some have global relevance in differing areas.

My only criticism would be the lack of depth of information, but it is already quite a hefty tome and it would become unwieldy were there too much added. Of course, having discovered some of the origins I can look those up in more detail elsewhere.

[أبو فاطمة 14 · Rating 3 out of 5]

أعجبني الإخراج الجميل من ناحية الصور والرسوم
لكن كان عيبه الإيجاز و عدم التعمق في الطرح
يكتفي بعدة كلمات عن الرمز
كما انه ليس شاملا حيث افتقر لذكر رموز و علامات كثيرة

الجميل ان القارئ يستطيع ان يعرف الاسم الخاص بالرمز أو العلامة وما أكثر الرموز والعلامات التي تمر علينا كل يوم حتى حفظنا رسمها لكن دون أن نعرف اسمها!! و ما عليه بعدها إلا "الجوجلة" ليتمكن من التوسع

[Lísa Jónasdóttir · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely would have preferred if the author had used fewer symbols and described their origins and meanings in more depth. This book felt like it went on too long and at times felt repetitious.

Also, sometimes felt like I was reading someone's GCSE English lit exam.

[Judith Graves]

Handy resource for paranormal writers with beautiful illustrations. Also got a kick out of the cricket umpire's symbols section - 'cause you never know.

[Sumayyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good edition to any library.

[Bina Artiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the variety and expanse of the various symbols, but I felt like the book was lacking information on each one. She could have gone into detail about each symbol more.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some satanic signs have been white-washed for thousand years...inevitable to transform the correct message to the moderners...
Catholics as absolute evil and paganism and satan worshippers....oh well..not mentioned in this book...feels like Britannica...

中文版可能要從蝦皮上面找找
不錯的一本
也有很多符號被漂白化
目錄
1-11　前言
12-13　宇宙
14-15　簡介
16-17　太陽
18-19　月亮
20-23　夜空
24-27　地球
28-29　山
30-31　火
32-33　水
34-35　天氣
36-37　雨與雪
38-39　洪水
40-41　四季
42-43　珍貴寶石
44-45　黃金
46-47　珍貴的物質
48-49　自然界
50-51　簡介
52-55　哺乳類
56-57　貓科動物
58-61　鳥類
62-63　老鷹
64-65　爬蟲類與兩棲類
66-67　蛇類
68-71　水生動物
72-73　可怕的蟲子
74-77　傳說中的怪獸
78-79　龍
80-81　植物
82-85　花卉
86-87　蓮花
88-89　藥草與香料
90-93　森林
94-95　樹木
96-97　神木
98-99　大地的果實
100-101　大地的食物
102-103　人類
104-105　簡介
106-109　頭顱
110-111　頭顱戰利品
112-115　人體
116-119　手與腳
120-123　繁衍與生育
124-125　成年禮
126-127　愛情與婚姻
128-131　死亡與哀悼
132-133　勸世畫派
134-135　神話與宗教
136-137　簡介
138-139　埃及神祇
140-141　希臘與羅馬神祇
142-143　凱爾特與北歐神祇
144-145　中南美洲神祇
146-147　祖先
148-149　自然的神靈
150-151　部落圖騰、英雄與魔法師
152-153 　夢境
154-155　薩滿教
156-157　創世傳說
158-163　印度教
164-169　佛教
170-171　道教與神道
172-173　猶太教
174-175　猶太神祕哲學
176-179　基督教
180-183　伊斯蘭教
184-185　錫克教
186-187　巫毒教
188-189　天使
190-191　撒旦與惡魔
192-193　巫師與巫教
194-195　辟邪物
196-199　占卜
200-203　西方占星術
204-205　中國星象學
206-207　命理學
208-209　聖杯
210-211　鍊金術
212-213　社會與文化
214-215　簡介
216-217　皇室王族
218-219　皇室裝飾物
220-221　加冕儀式
222-223　民族性
224-225　工具與武器
226-227　建築
228-231　宗教建築
232-233　聖地
234-235　房屋
236-237　天梯
238-241　家
242-243　船
244-247　花園
248-249　衣著與服飾
250-251　頭飾
252-253　Uniforms制服
254-255　珠寶
256-257　身體裝飾
258-259　集會組織
260-261　共濟會組織
262-267　藝術
268-269　舞蹈與戲劇
270-271　面具
272-273　童話故事
274-275　樂器
276-277　象徵系統
278-279　簡介
280-283　顏色
284-289　形狀
290-293　圖案
294-299　數字
300-305　圖畫文字
306-309　字母文字
310-313　國際通用標誌
314-315　專業標誌
316-317　品牌與商標
318-323　紋章圖案
324-329　旗幟
330-333　手語與手勢
334-337　肢體語言
338-343　名詞釋義
344-345　延伸閱讀
346-351　索引
352　致謝

[Mateicee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich mag die Bücher aus dem DK-Verlag ganz gerne, sie geben eine Menge Infos aus ihrem Themenbereich sehr oberflächlich und kompakt wieder das man einen guten ersten Eindruck von der Materie bekommt.

Genau da liegt aber auch die Schwachstelle der Buchreihe, die Bücher sind oft einfach zu unübersichtlich gestaltet. Überall sind kleine Textboxen und Bilder, die Seiten sind teilweise einfach zu überladen. Weniger ist mehr.

Ich habe erst ein anderes Buch über Symbole des Okkultismus gelesen, welches mir doch besser gefallen hat. Es hatte zwar weniger Infos in der Breite, ging aber mehr in die Tiefe und war auch übersichtlicher gestalter. Das hier ist mehr ein Bilderbuch.

Ich habs gerne gelesen, aber im direkten Vergleich hinkt es hinterher.

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really hoping to read up on signs and symbols (like those pictured on the cover) but what I found was much more a look at the symbolism of anything and everything. It very much reminds me of the adage if everything is special nothing is special.

Do I accept that all low-rise buildings are feminine and all tall buildings (and anything else vaguely rectangular) are male, or that jeans symbolise social and gender equality?

The book would be much better if it covered a 10th of the context in 10x's the depth rather than in the current 1 or 2 lines.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you hear the word “symbol”, you may think of something occult, but if you look at the history of civilization, symbolism has always existed.

There are remains of ancient people writing symbols of fire, mountains, rivers, etc. on stone monuments.

Asian kanji were born from symbols.
The symbol is also used on maps and the national flag.

Nowadays, the symbol is also used in company and store marks.
Thinking about the meanings of symbols is fun and increases intellectual curiosity.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adequate survey of symbols, but by no means comprehensive. Very broad, but very shallow, providing slim information which at points contradictory and somewhat less than accurate. Think of it as a catalog for ideas and a place to look for topics of interest for further research. It does provide an idex and limited bibliography. It would not be appropriate to cite as a reference.

[Winnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolute beginners guide but an excellent resource for quick reference when needed. If you're like me and you enjoy studying symbols, this will come in handy when you need a refresher. I poured over it bit by bit for hours whilst looking up things for deeper information online. It's greatly partnered with other books of similar topic.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a different edition of this book as a kid and spent so much time poring over it. As an adult, I definitely feel that it has neither the depth nor the breadth that I would like, but it was still fun revisiting.

[Lostliketheocean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly what I was looking for, more interested in the Alchemy/divination symbols (I'll take recomendations).
I skimmed the parts I wasn't interested in, but found it had alot of just random stuff that didn't seem relevant.

[Michael Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book. Wonderful pictures. DK does such a good job with their books. No, the author doesn't drill down, but that's not the point of this book. Put it on your coffee and you might initiate some interesting conversations.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's an ok introduction, but only focuses on a few well known symbols and is very, very entry level and light on quantity and depth. Expected a little more, but does have some decent knowledge within.

[Lisa Shafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very small print in places. The illustrations varied from good to awful. At times, color-on-color printing was used, making everything very hard to read.

[Degan Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of being a comprehensive book of symbols, this is a thin book with pages crowded with examples of all manner of things that can stand as symbols. I did not find it useful or interesting.