$12.49
Author: Tresidder Jack
Brand: Chronicle Books
Features:
Number Of Pages: 544
Details: Product Description
The Complete Dictionary of Symbols is an engaging and accessible guide to more than 2,000 major themes, figures, and symbols that are commonly found in myth, art, and literature. Drawing on classical mythologies, Biblical themes, and traditional symbols from cultures worldwide, this user-friendly, attractively priced reference has comprehensive entries on everything from individual animals, plants, and objects to gods, goddesses, supernatural creatures, heroes, heroines, mythical episodes, prophets, saints, miracles, and myriad other subjects. Whether the topic at hand is Mercury or Merlin, the Egyptian ankh or the humble ant, engaging text reveals the origins and meaning of each symbol. Interspersed with the main entries are short articles on themes of special interest, such as the Sun, Moon, and stars, or common vices. Three hundred illustrations, an intuitive system of cross-referencing, and authoritative research make The Complete Dictionary of Symbols a reliable resource for school, home, or library.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–This dictionary is both too modest and too boastful: it condenses hundreds of myths and includes deities, heroes, saints, historical figures, animals, etc., with connections to art and literature, yet it is hardly exhaustive. Double the length of Tresidder’s Dictionary of Symbols (Chronicle, 1998; o.p.), it preserves that work’s format and adds a brief bibliography. Most of the author’s Symbols and Their Meanings (Sterling, 2000) is also found here. Marginalia include primary-source citations and cross-references. Violet backgrounds distinguish 60 short articles on such diverse topics as Trojan War heroes, the Buddha, angels, avatars of Vishnu, dance, liberty, the jaguar, and more. The book includes many non-Western myths and symbols, but a broad perspective in some articles is lacking. The features on architecture, chastity, the ages of man, and religious orders are entirely European in focus. Many articles–e.g., on music, floods, fish, dragons, death, creation–are culturally broader. Africa deserves better coverage. Small black-and-white and/or violet graphics–useful, if not compelling–appear on most pages. Clare Gibson’s Signs & Symbols (Grange) and Miranda Bruce-Mitford’s Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols (DK, both 1996), though less complete, will attract browsers with their color photos. Hans Biedermann’s Dictionary of Symbolism (Facts On File, 1992) is better illustrated, more detailed on Western symbols, less global; Tresidder’s volume offers high value for cost, if there is a myth/symbol gap on the reference shelf.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George’s School, Newport, RI
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From Booklist
This is the first symbols source to be labeled complete, although the introduction does not specify the qualities that make it so. Its 2,000 entries are twice the number found in other resources on the topic, such as Tresidder’s 1998 Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems (much of which is duplicated in the newer book). The alphabetically arranged entries focus on classical and Christian symbolism but encompass other traditions worldwide. In addition to traditional symbols (e.g., objects, animals, flowers, shapes), the volume includes legends, themes, or concepts important for understanding systems of symbols and historical, mythological, or religious figures. It also includes brief references to the use of the symbol in art. For example, the entry alchemy is identical to that in the Dictionary of Symbols except for a reference to the depiction of alchemists in Vasari’s painting The Alchemist’s Laboratory. The Complete Dictionary’s articles range from a few sentences to one-page panels on more comprehensive topics (Colours; Elements; Music, musical instruments). Its format is similar to Dictionary of Symbols, with see references and sour
Release Date: 03-03-2005
Package Dimensions: 43x234x1247
