Customer Reviews

Elsevier's Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery: In English (With Definitions)

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

 

 

A dictionary of imagery as given by Ad de Vries gives the reader an entrance into often difficult symbols and the connections between them. The book leaves the reader a lot of room to distill his or her specific meaning (from allegories, metaphors, signs, types, psychology, myth etc.) from the sought after symbol. For that reason several meanings are given that may apply simultaneously (or in interconnection with each other) giving the user the necessary space for a very personal interpretation. The dictionary thus recognizes the fact that, when intuitively used, the meaning of one image can often lead to a deeper source which the lay person would not easily have distinguished. The book does have a possible drawback in that the material chosen from has been restricted to "Western" civilisation. However, a drawback can also be seen as a positive point in focus.

This dictionary of symbols and imagery is one of the best books I have ever purchased. It's an invaluable source for humanities students as well as for anybody interested in the meaning and study of images and concepts as showed in literature, mythology, legends, folklore and the like. It offers a wide range of terminology and specific vocabulary and refers the reader to a great number of literary works where certain symbols are represented. Maybe this dictionary by De Vries is not very easy to use and apart from that it is also expensive, austere, and hard-to-find; but I assure you that, once you begin using it, it's worth every penny you spent on it. Just buy it on an impulse and don't think about the price, you won't repent. It's a wonderful dictionary, I love it and I strongly recommend it to everybody.

An excellent reference book, printed on quality paper but if there is ever a reprint of the Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols by Gertrude Jobes, I would recommend that before this text only because it is more compehensive. Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols (Volume 3: Index)

I happened to get a decent deal on the book and I'm so glad that I didn't pay the money that they're asking for. It is extensive in scope but the definitions are to me shallow. Intuitive?..Intellectual and a reference book. There are many decent ones out there just as good if not better than this one at 1/20th the price.

Ad De Vries' "Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery" is an excellent reference for those who are interested in the various symbolic meanings of objects, animals, mythological creatures and species.

I found it invaluable as a reference while I was studying English at University. And now, as a writer, I find it just as useful.

This lengthy work draws together information from a wide variety of sources in an attempt to give interpretations of symbols. The book is perhaps the most ambitious compilation of symbol interpretations ever to have been assembled.

On the negative side, the book is, unfortunately, poorly edited, with many typos, grammatical errors and misspellings. Also, some symbol interpretations are somewhat farfetched. The author's interpretation of Biblical symbolism is particularly weak, perhaps due in part to his apparent anti-Christian bias. Also, he misses many important Freudian and Jungian interpretations of symbols.

This having been said, for a given symbol this book gives a great deal of material which can be used as a starting point to understanding the meaning of the symbol.