Customer Reviews

Dictionary of Symbols (Norton Paperback)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Among all the books referred to as "dictionaries" of symbols, this is the one that provides the artist with a truly visual inspiration.

The black and white printing lends itself to the elegant and crisp presentation of the publication. Symbols are not obscure drawings, but concise graphic representations.

For those interested in the deeper meaning of symbols (not simply their aesthetic appeal), explanations of symbol origin are provided alongside; similar or equivalent symbols are cross-referenced with each other.

An excellent source for any designer seeking to add symbolism to his/her work without the frills.

Most books on symbols confine themselves to higher level abstractions such as "the lion" or "mercury" or the letters of the alphabet. Liungman's achievement is to create a comprehensive taxonomy for symbols that uses the most basic shapes as building blocks to create ascending chains of meaning. As such, it is an original work of scholarship rather than a gazetteer of common symbols. "The Dictionary of Symbols" is a gold mine of information for readers interested in graphic design or the "semiotics," if I may be allowed to use the term, behind supposedly abstract shapes and designs. Did you ever wonder about the significance of the Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen logos or the three diamonds of the Mitsubishi symbol? Would world history have been different if the Nazi swastika had pointed the other way? These and many other questions of similar nature are knowledgeably and enjoyably explored in this very impressive book.

While the selection and classification structure of the symbols in the dictionary has much to offer, the actual _descriptions_ of the symbols leave plenty to be desired. The authour seems to come from an astrological background, and the gaps in his knowledge (particularly with respect to electronic, hobo, and non-Christian religious symbols) are evident throughout; especially when seen side-by-side with the verbose coverage of astrological and Judeo-Christian symbols.

While the classification scheme is amazing, and very well thought out, the actual content is rather below what I expected.

This is a rich sourcebook of information about graphic symbols from around the world. The text is detailed and covers the subject in depth. Several articles at the beginning of the book discuss the various uses of these signs and symbols around the world. The book's key failure, IMHO, is that the author uses an indexing system that is hard to follow. For example, you will found various kinds of crosses scattered through many categories. It is hard to understand exactly what led him to group which symbols where. On a few occasions, you will find symbols grouped with signs that seemingly bear no relationship in either shape or meaning. Use this book for the definitions, but be prepared to wade through a lot of material if you don't happen to know the name of the sign at the start of your research.

This book has its strengths, but it is hopelessly out of date. It is much better to opt for Liungman's 2004 edition, Symbols -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms (ISBN 9197270504). It covers a lot more signs, even modern ones such as the At sign.

It still has its glaring flaws. Far too many symbols (about a dozen) have "meaning uncertain" in their definitions. What's the purpose of including symbols in a dictionary if you don't know what they mean? That's unhelpful. Several modern symbols are missing from the book. This may be due to its original Swedish publication date of 1974. The most glaring omission is the famous "NO" sign (circle with diagonal line across it) which is not mentioned at all in the section with symbols of similar construction. It's obvious the author's major interests were in astrology, alchemy, and mysticism. Many definitions are shallow and incomplete, but the astrological symbol definitions contain an overabundance of information far beyond what is pertinent to the meaning of the symbol. It's not necessary to describe the personality traits of Aries and list which planets are auspicious and which are unfortunate in that sign. All Liungman needed to do was say "astrological symbol for Aries" and perhaps give the dates when the sun is in that part of the sky. His ramblings are interesting at times - I did not know that the five-pointed star was discovered by plotting the recurrent appearances of Venus, and that information does add to my understanding of the symbol and its use. But in the same definition (which is 5 1/2 pages long) Liungman goes into a rant about Judeo-Christian patriarchal society as opposed to ancient Mesopotamian goddess-cults, all of which is impertinent to the use and meaning of the symbol supposedly under discussion. Many other definitions contain seemingly anti-Christian criticism which is not relevant, not objective, and not professional. Those of us familiar with history are aware of the crimes perpetrated by the Church. As a Christian, I'm justly embarrased by my faith's ignoble past, but Liungman's opinions about it seem out-of-place in what is supposed to be a factual dictionary of the meanings of symbols.
Complaints aside, the book was - overall - quite informative and interesting to read. Information about the basic elements of symbols really makes it possible to use this book to create new symbol combinations. A chapter of the introduction discusses the possibility of an international ideographic language. The method of organization in the dictionary itself was ingenious, and easy to use once you figure out Liungman's system. Symbols are organized into groups depending on whether they are symmetric, are open or closed, contain straight or curved lines, and contain crossing lines. There are 54 possible combinations of these variables, which make up the 54 "groups" of symbols in the Dictionary. Most are extensively cross-referenced to other signs with similar meanings or structures. There's a word index in the back, so you can find symbols based on their meaning. There's also a symbol index and a chart which you can use to analyze a symbol and figure out which group it will be in. A few symbols seemed mis-classified but overall I found the system to be very useful. Out of the 5 or 6 symbol dictionaries I've looked at, this is the one most useful for actually "looking up" an unknown symbol - which brings this one out of the class of "coffee-table book for casual browsing" and into the realm of "working reference book."

Having already used dozens of books on (visual) symbols, symbolism, and related subjects for my research, I didn't find very much in the way of ancient history of symbols in this book. It is a great taxonomy of signs, ideograms, and some symbols, all presented in the same style, and has some value as a dictionary. The cross references are very useful. Not very useful for researching symbols or emblems from the more esoteric arena. The visual overview chart is a good idea for finding a symbol by its looks, although I found the groupings confusing to use.

People LOVE to hear themselves talk, especially in print when you can't stop them. But this book is simply the symbols , a short history and no theorizing. Perfect.

Wonderful dictionary, very clear and clean illustrations. Interesting text accompanies each symbol, with historical or alchemical associations. A must have book for symbols old and new. I give it four stars.

It's been mentioned that this book isn't up to date, but I'm okay with that. It covers the truly significant symbols, i.e. the ones that have stood the test of time (with only a few rather quaint exceptions). The organization takes a little getting used to, but does get down to business once you give it a little attention. As for bias, there is some, but the author makes an admirable effort at keeping the information as general as possible. Anyone seeking a purely objective viewpoint really shouldn't be looking into this subject anyway.