Handbook of Semiotics (Advances in Semiotics) [Paperback]

Winfried Noth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0253209595 | ISBN-13: 978-0253209597 | Publication Date: September 28, 1995

"This is the most systematic discussion of semiotics yet published." —Choice

"A bravura performance." —Thomas Sebeok

"Nöth's handbook is an outstanding encyclopedia that provides first-rate information on many facets of sign-related studies, research results, and applications." —Social Sciences in General

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Mapping a discipline as new as semiotics involves not only compilation and description, but making substantive choices regarding the taxonomy and dimensions of the field. Noth succeeds admirably in this formidable undertaking. He casts a wide net, incorporating a variety of perspectives: historical, systematic, generic, and institutional. While the individual entries may be too brief to aid a specialist in his own field, Noth's book does provide a workable framework for relating disciplines to each other and to the pioneering theorists of the field, from Peirce to Jakobson. Noth rounds out his work with a treatment of the most recent developments and the provision of extensive, up-to-date bibliographical data. Recommended for academic libraries.
- Alexander Gelley, Univ. of California, Irvine
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (September 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253209595
• ISBN-13: 978-0253209597
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 17, 2008

By 

Kristof (Vellmar) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handbook of Semiotics (Advances in Semiotics) (Paperback)

I had the honor to study under Winfried Nöth in Kassel/Germany and his handbook of semiotics was really helpful for my final oral exam in April 2008. This handbook is an excellent source for research on semiotics. It is comprehensible and covers practically all fields of semiotics, even topics like the semiotics of comics and films are analysed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handbook of Semiotics, Winfried Noth (1990), July 25, 2011

By 

Busy Lizzi "Busy Lizzi" (CA. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Handbook of Semiotics (Advances in Semiotics) (Paperback)

Thorough,comprehensive leviathan on semiotics and its placement within the field of structuralism gets my top marks. Noth leaves no stone unturned, combining historical analysis of its roots in structuralism from its Pierce, Morris, Saussure, Hjelmslev and Jakobson beginnings through Barthes, structuralism, Post and Neo structuralism to present day applications such as in drama, myth, ideology, rhetoric, nonverbal and visual communication(aesthetics, advertizing or comics for example). Very thorough, and useful I found for quick-to-reference definitions of terms, and placing the mass of scholarship within the field and correlating fields depending on its applications. Being a Cultural Studies/Media Studies phD student, what I found most helpful from this text was Noth's ability to span such a vast breadth of areas we study in my discipline, in such a cohesive way. Taking a class one semester on say a Foucauldian strand of structuralism, and a survey class another semester that included several structuralist readings (Althusser, Barthes, Levi-Strauss) amidst a quagmire of other cultural theory, didn't connect the dots for me per se on the wider structuralist debate,its history and evolution of movements, and the many different 'threads' and applications across the disciplines that it produced,including how Barthes's pioneering work in semiology led over time to become a weighty branch of the structuralist tree. My recent enlightenment, thus,leaves me wishing it had been assigned or even recommended during (emphasis on "during") my coursework(I stumbled upon it myself during dissertation research). What my professors were teaching would have made a lot more sense at the time!

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, September 13, 2005

By 

Rafael Lira Benseman (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook of Semiotics (Advances in Semiotics) (Paperback)

Great Book if you intend to study the basics of semiotics, it also gives you a lot of bibliography to research if you need more, something I really believe will not be the case.