1,001 Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Imagery and Its Meaning (Paperback)

by Jack Tresidder (Author)
Key Phrases: fecundity symbolism, protective symbolism, protective significance, Middle East, Virgin Mary, Tree of Life (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Pleasingly chunky and vibrantly colorful, this pocket-sized compendium covers iconography from around the world and is perfect for travel and museum outings. Author Jack Tresidder examines common imagery in art, religion, and literature, revealing hidden meanings rich with cultural history. For example, did you know that the phrase "salt of the earth" comes from the ancient use of salt as a preservative and the associated idea of incorruptibility? There is a symbol for virtually every human emotion and 1,001 Symbols helps us unlock them in a winning format that's proven as popular as its subject.

About the Author
Jack Tresidder is a journalist and critic who has written about foreign affairs and the arts in the UK and his native New Zealand. He lives in the French Alps.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811842827
• ISBN-13: 978-0811842822
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #312,885 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The 1001 Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking in pictures, August 8, 2004

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The author investigates imagery in literature, religion and art, making the connection to universal themes in the human psyche. The book lists the idea, quality or state symbolised and then discusses all the major imagery used to represent it under the topic. Important symbols with multiple meanings therefore appear under various different topic headings, whilst related topics are sometimes grouped together.

The book provides an overview of the various imagery used by different cultures that stand for concepts like happiness, joy, wisdom, goodness, evil, truth justice, freedom and salvation amongst others. The author claims that traditional imagery as a whole represents a relatively small spectrum of emotions and ideas that were seen as the keystones of civilisation, in order to emphasize the positive over the negative. The book includes many cross-references, an index and plenty of striking monotone and full colour illustrations.