Customer Reviews

1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean in Art & Myth

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"1000 Symbols" is an extensive compendium of symbols from around the world. What makes this book unique from other books on symbols is the worldwide approach. A specific symbol can mean widely differing things in different cultural contexts and the authors do a wonderful job of examining each interpretation. Each symbol has a number that is cross-referenced to the index at the beginning of the book making them easy to find. In addition, the symbols are categorized into eight general categories for easy browsing. The categories are Heaven and Earth, Characters and People, Body and Actions, Living Creatures, Mythical Beasts, Flowers, Plants and Trees, Objects and Artefacts, and Abstracts. Each of these categories is also subdivided.

Each of the symbols discussed has a line drawing of the symbol along with a detailed description of what the symbol meant to different groups, how it is used today, various ways it was drawn, etc. If you want to know about the various symbols that surround us this is an excellent place to find out. A highly recommended reference for anyone interested in symbols.

This book contains symbols that no other book contains. If you are a artist you can draw them. It contais biblical, and mythical people, flowers, and herbes, and their meaning. I thought think this book is wonderful and beautifully illustrated.

I am sorry to report of my disapointment with this title. While it does contain some interesting research, the symbols illustrated are all modernized graphics. The use of traditional and historic depictions of the symbols would have made this work much more readable.

This book has great explanations and meanings for almost every symbol you can think of. The explanations transcend through many cultures and religions to show you what things mean to different peoples. It talks about signs and symbols as well as the symbology of certain animals, plants, colors, numbers, etc. This book does not give many exapmples (pictures) of symbols, but that is not completely necessary for the purpose this book serves. This book is an amazing reference for artists in all mediums. I strongly recommend this book.

Love this book, how it's set up, love the index, but most of all love the descriptions of various cultures' ideas about same symbol, a smorgasbord of meanings providing options for personal symbolism and spirituality.

Good book.

1000 Symbols could as easily have been featured in an art books section but deserves mention for Metaphysical Studies for its extensive inclusion of spiritual symbols as well. The symbols are grouped into defined categories and groups of related symbols, from Body and Actions to Egyptian and European. A fascinating, revealing reference, highly recommended.

Impressive book because of its good contents. Will be good for children as means to learn the beauty of the art and symbols. Although the binding of the book is bad because of its thick individual pages. I hope publisher see to it that the pages are snug together. Thank you.