A revised and expanded edition of the classic work on hex-sign barn decorations, offering insight into their various forms, geographical spread, European origins, evolution in Pennsylvania, and current use in tourism, advertising, and regional art. The authors explore the meaning of the symbols by examining evidence from popular writers, scholars, and contemporary hex-sign painters. Full-color photographs display the grandeur of this Pennsylvania Dutch phenomenon.
Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning
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About the Author
Don Yoder was cofounder of the Pennsylvania Folklife Society, longtime editor of its journal Pennsylvania Folklife, and Professor of Folklife Studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1956 to 1996. He currently resides in Devon, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Graves lives in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, and has written articles on hex signs, gravestones, and coal culture.
Thomas Graves lives in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, and has written articles on hex signs, gravestones, and coal culture.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good informitive review of the topic.,
This review is from: Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning: Revised & Expanded (Paperback)
The authors take a pragmatic approach to the subject of the many round decorations that have graced barns and homes of Pennsylvania for hundreds of years. Especially among Pennsylvanians of "Deutch" or German ancestry, the fancy round "hex signs" are a cultural identification as well a decoration for their barns. Perhaps these signs also have magickal meaning as a ward or protection. The term "hex" means a magic spell in German, and "hexen" means witch. The authors shy away somewhat from a serious inquiry into the magickal meanings and efficacy of protection hexes. They do offer a collection of good photos of many old and new signs, interviews with current painters and discussion of those available commercially.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hex Signs:Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning,
By Carol DeMarra (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning: Revised & Expanded (Paperback)
"It is an excellent book on history of Pa.Dutch Hex Signs" Colorful and very informative!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Information For the Christian Witch,
By Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk "Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk" (Huntington, West Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning: Revised & Expanded (Paperback)
This little gudie is great if you are interested in the Pow Wow practice of Pennsylvania Dutch hexerei. Though these writers are interested in the cultural and commercial aspects of the barn hexes, they do offer an introductory discussion of the hex marks and a brief history of its appearance in teh New World. Totally worth your time to peruse and worth your money to have
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Hex signs and the barns on which they appear are an integral part of the American culture developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch or Pennsylvania Germans (these names are interchangeable). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hex signs, swirling swastika, decorated barn, disk signs, barn decorations, witch foot, plain sects, barn signs, tourist literature, geometrical designs Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pennsylvania Dutch, Berks County, Lancaster County, Lehigh County, Schuylkill County, Wallace Nutting, Johnny Claypoole, Ivan Hoyt, Milton Hill, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Dolores Quint, Jacob Zook, Johnny Ott, United States, Pennsylvania Beautiful, William Schuster, Twelve Months, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Germans, Connie Schallau, Elsie Singmaster, Hex Highway, John Joseph Stoudt, Montgomery County New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Hex signs and the barns on which they appear are an integral part of the American culture developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch or Pennsylvania Germans (these names are interchangeable). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hex signs, swirling swastika, decorated barn, disk signs, barn decorations, witch foot, plain sects, barn signs, tourist literature, geometrical designs Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pennsylvania Dutch, Berks County, Lancaster County, Lehigh County, Schuylkill County, Wallace Nutting, Johnny Claypoole, Ivan Hoyt, Milton Hill, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Dolores Quint, Jacob Zook, Johnny Ott, United States, Pennsylvania Beautiful, William Schuster, Twelve Months, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Germans, Connie Schallau, Elsie Singmaster, Hex Highway, John Joseph Stoudt, Montgomery County New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 21
books:
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10
books
cite this book:
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- Pennsylvania Dutch & Other Essays by Phebe Earle Gibbons on 9 pages
- Red Hills, The by Cornelius Weygandt on page 22, page 23, and Back Matter
- Blue Hills, The by Cornelius Weygandt on page 22, and Back Matter
- Hex Signs and Other Barn Decorations by Elmer L. Smith on page 61, and Back Matter
- Consider the Lilies (Canongate Classic) by Iain Chrichton Smith in Back Matter
See all 21 books this book cites
- Discovering American Folklife by Don Yoder in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Groundhog Day by Don Yoder in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Teaching Fantasy Novels: From The Hobbit to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Phyllis J. Perry on page 128
- Barn: The Art of a Working Building by David Larkin in Back Matter
- Perspectives on American Religion and Culture: A Reader by Peter W. Williams on page 202
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