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A Dictionary of Symbols [Hardcover]

Jean Chevalier (Author), Alain Gheerbrant (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews) |

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Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

This is an inventory of symbols and the symbolic imagination. The editors and their fifteen contributors are drawn from a variety of scholarly backgrounds, from anthropology and ethnology to psychotherapy and art history. This diversity of approach is responsible for the book's character, a reflection of the multiplicity of symbols and signs and the phenomenal range of possible interpretations they offer. The book draws together folklore, literary and artistic sources, and focuses on the symbolic dimension of every colour, number, sound, gesture, expression or character trait that has benefitted from symbolic interpretation. The conscious and unconscious minds are explored, desire and dreams are treated alongside the known and the chronicled. Its 1600 entries are indexed to a comprehensive bibliography.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } This is an inventory of symbols and the symbolic imagination. The editors and their fifteen contributors are drawn from a variety of scholarly backgrounds, from anthropology and ethnology to psychotherapy and art history. This diversity of approach is responsible for the book's character, a reflection of the multiplicity of symbols and signs and the phenomenal range of possible interpretations they offer. The book draws together folklore, literary and artistic sources, and focuses on the symbolic dimension of every colour, number, sound, gesture, expression or character trait that has benefitted from symbolic interpretation. The conscious and unconscious minds are explored, desire and dreams are treated alongside the known and the chronicled. Its 1600 entries are indexed to a comprehensive bibliography.

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Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English
Original Language: French

About the Author

Jean Chevalier was a university lecturer in philosophy and theology before working for UNESCO. He subsequently devoted himself to writing and research, publishing many works on religion and spirituality. He died in 1993. Alain Gheerbrant is a well-known poet and travel-writer, living in Paris. John Buchanan-Brown is a long-established and gifted translator of French books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

Hardcover: 960 pages
Publisher: Blackwell Pub (November 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0631192654
ISBN-13: 978-0631192657
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 2.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,701,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dictionary for Thinkers, October 23, 2000

Joel M Sax - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin) (Paperback)

This is a thinker's dictionary, not a guide to road signs and icons. The editors took the trouble to recruit symbol experts from many different professions, ranging from the paranormal to the skeptical academic. The result is a dictionary with entries that have more depth than the usual "quick hits" that other symbolism dictionaries give you. Chevalier is not afraid to give contradictory or contrasting meanings of icons. (He is not a universalist, but a relativist.) He is usually careful to identify the culture in which a particular meaning is given. I keep this in easy reach on my bookshelf, reminding myself, however, that no dictionary on this subject can possibly cover all the meanings a symbol may have. It is worth having around.

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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent dictionary in scope and depth, October 20, 1999

joanne wieland-burston (jwburston@munich.nets... (munich / zurich) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin) (Paperback)

i have known this dictionary in the french original for about 20 years now and recommend it again and again to students. i have always hoped that it could become available for non french readers. finally! as a jungian analyst, i find the dictionary extremely helpful: it does an extraordinary job of displaying the breadth of symbolic meanings involved in so many symbols that are still very much alive in people today. the refence to various cultures is especially important in our multi-cultural world.. i am very thankful for this translation into english and hope the german translation will follow soon.

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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best esoteric symbol interpretation I have seen, January 25, 2001

Yvonne Turner "Vonnie" (Pacific Northwest USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin) (Paperback)

I have about a dozen symbol books... most of the classics. This one is the best for interpreting those strange symbols in your dreams, daydreams, etc. It is not the shallow stupid interpretations "you are going on a journey..." stuff, but true archetypical and esoteric interpretations.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars not worth it
This is a great book for obtaining a few interesting symbols. The really terrible part is that the author did just that. Read more

Published 3 months ago by thewarlock

5.0 out of 5 stars Love your bookshelf, indulge its academic cravings. Please.
I give this five stars because it is an excellent resource and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

I bought this book expecting it was about pictorial symbols and glyphs... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Willow Henry-Elwell

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Condition, Great Price
Very detailed and comprehensive descriptions of symbols, origins, and cultural mutations. Can function as a standalone reference or a starting point for more detailed investigation

Published 10 months ago by Patrick Stolle

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of Symbols (and World Folklore and Mythology)

This is an amazing book -- it covers symbolism, but it also a functions as a book of world folklore and mythology. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Dennis Hendrix

5.0 out of 5 stars Expands the imagination
This remains my favorite dictionary of symbols, though it lacks the illustrations and finer graphics of (say) the recent Taschen edition of "The Book Of Symbols". Read more

Published 12 months ago by Robert Moss

4.0 out of 5 stars one of the best
I have several books on symbols and this is among my favorites. It's very comprehensive and thorough, but as another person mentioned it is definitely a thinker's book. Read more

Published on December 30, 2009 by Jessie Opilo

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect tool for analyzing myth, mysticism, the occult, and religions
I wholly endorse this book. The authors, using clear and lucid prose, manage to touch upon every major symbol and symbol system I can think of. Read more

Published on September 21, 2009 by C. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars the penguin dictionary of symbole
I have done considerable research looking for the single best dictionary of symbols with regard to the accuracy of their interpetations, and this is the book. Read more

Published on September 11, 2009 by J. Woodburn

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderfully Solid Reference Book
This book is well written, comprehensive and fun to read. I own about a half-dozen books on symbols and symbolism and this one is hands down the best I currently own. Read more

Published on May 20, 2009 by Kevin Owsley

5.0 out of 5 stars Newer dictionaries with pictures are great, but this is the one I always return to.
I purchased my first copy 10 years ago and have been working with my dream symbols for nearly 20 years. Read more

Published on March 1, 2009 by Quadradox

› See all 24 customer reviews...

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
world axis, cosmic egg, world egg, golden fleece, cosmic tree, upper waters, tracing board, emerald table, world axes, twin heroes, golden number, chthonian fire, release from the cosmos, celestial semen, major arcanum, eternal homecoming, primordial hermaphrodite, fecundating rain, chthonian world, subtle centres, modem psychoanalysis, twofold symbolism, nocturnal aspect, symbolic ambivalence, same ideogram

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, Ancient Egyptian, First Cause, Children of Israel, Tree of Life, Holy Spirit, Middle Ages, Mircea Eliade, Pole Star, Song of Solomon, Chuang Tzu, Book of Revelation, Our Lady, Paul Diel, Ancient China, Angelus Silesius, Far East, Great Bear, Milky Way, Philosopher's Stone, The Secret of the Golden Flower, Ancient Greece, Garden of Eden, Heavenly Jerusalem, New Year

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 43 books:

The Conference of the Birds (Penguin Classics) by Farid ud-Din Attar on 4 pages
City of God (Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans) (Pelican Classics) by Augustine of Hippo on page 43, and page 980
Fathers of the Church : Saint Augustine : Christian Instruction, Admonition and Grace, the Christian Combat, Faith, Hope and Charity by John J. Gavigan on page 119, and page 991
The Psychoanalysis of Fire by Gaston Bachelard in Back Matter
Peaks and Lamas by Marco Pallis in Back Matter

See all 43 books this book cites

64 books cite this book:

The Cydonia Codex: Reflections from Mars by George J. Haas on 8 pages
The Wise Earth Speaks to Your Spirit: 52 Ways to Find Your Soul Voice Through Journal Writing by Janell Moon on 5 pages
on page 78, page 102, and page 108
SQ: Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence by Danah Zohar on page 123, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
SQ: Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence by Danah Zohar on page 123, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 64 books citing this book

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