The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin)

I have just purchased the dictionary of symbols as a reference tool for my English Literature Degree, helping me understand literary analogies, allegories and some allusions (such as mythology) and for use as assignment quotes. So far it has been fantastic for quotes as it is surprisingly hard to find academically acclaimed guides to symbolism via online searches... believe me I've tried! OK.. so it doesn't have pictures, you really don't need them, and all entries are alphabetically listed so really easy to find what you need. It spans many different subjects and cultures for its references, and is really interesting (I have found myself reading articles I didn't need to). Some entries are short and concise as they don't have many different meanings, however others such as serpents have an longer entry looking at a wealth of meanings including biblical and psychological. Maybe not for everyone, but I honestly don't know how I have coped without this book.

Information in this book is super interesting. It includes symbolic info about colours, numbers, animals, and many other stuff.

One to have handy if you're interested in this sort of thing

Arrived in good condition. The only fault is there is no index.

The ultimate reference book. You can't say you actually love it but it is wonderful.

Good dictionary of symbols but no illustrations. Disappointed

It's a very interesting book particularly useful for scholars who believe in the Jungian criticism in literature

everything fine with the order, thanks

An indispensable volume. While it shares the inherent 'boring' quality of any dictionary, its exceptional accessibility and unwavering trustworthiness make it a true treasure. This is a must-have for any philologist, general intellectual, or indeed, any dedicated seeker of knowledge. It's the kind of resource Umberto Eco would likely have pored over and appreciated immensely. Given its unparalleled utility and depth, a clear five-star rating.

Such a beautiful explanation to everything mentioned in it.

Extraordinario diccionario y llegó en excelente estado. Su traducción al español es demasiado caro (costo triplicado). La versión en inglés es óptima, en papel y pastas delgadas de buena calidad, manejable con facilidad, sin que se dañe. Es legible aunque de letra chica. Su contenido temático es de alta calidad para quien tenga intereses desde la filosofía, la cultura, la psicología, la teología y el arte.

Mi è piaciuto tutto la struttura e la facilità di consultazione

This is an amazing book -- it covers symbolism, but it also a functions as a book of world folklore and mythology. It's nearly 1,200 pages and the entries are quite extensive. For example, there are about nine pages on "stone," five pages on "egg," a full page on "dew." But even more obscure items like "termite" gets four paragraphs, "comb" gets two, "porcupine" gets eight lines and "persimmon" gets six. This book takes a world perspective, showing what each symbol has meant to different cultures, religions and peoples -- these often differ. I've rarely seen a book of this type that is able to tackle both a wide range, yet give them depth as well. For example the entry on "falcon," one page, gives perspectives from Ancient Egypt, the Peruvian Incas, the Yunca Indians of Peru, the Irish, and various beliefs from the Middle Ages. There are some ancient gods and mythological and religious figures presented like Adam and Cain, and astrological signs, but thankfully these don't take up most of the book -- there are enough books on those topics already. The vast majority of this book covers _things_ like "chariot," "dog," "feather," "oil," "serpent," "throne" and "wheel" -- just to name a few. I own many books on folklore, superstition, folk belief and mythology, and I know a great book on these topics when I see one -- and this is a great book and a browser's dream. Some complain that images would have been helpful, and there aren't many pictures here, but when you're discussing something like "fox," "crown" or "satire" -- do you really need an image? I would prefer this book to have been a little larger, it is a rather small, fat book but regardless of the format the content is just beyond anything else I've seen. I would recommend "Dictionary of Symbols" as a companion volume to a book like "Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend." While the "Standard Dictionary..." is a much longer book, it opts for more depth and perhaps a bit less range than this one. Of course their purposes are slightly different. There's several dictionaries/encyclopedias of symbols out there, if you just want one, get this one.