The Book of Signs (Dover Pictorial Archive)

Does what it says on the tin, really. A collection of nicely reproduced drawings of early symbols (religious/alchemical/astronomical/masonic/runic), with some possible readings of each. The typeface takes a bit of getting used to.

This strange and fascinating little book was in my library for longer than I recall. It's mostly filled with Christian and European and Middle East sources. Nothing from Asia, Oceana, the Americas. It has a patriarchal, religious slant, and I don't know how it stands up to contemporary

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interpretation of symbol meanings. Still, I've thumbed through it many times with pleasure and curiosity.

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A book of symbols, explained by one Rudolf Koch and illustrated with woodblock prints by one Fritz Kredel. The translation into English is done by Vyvyan Holland, the son of Oscar Wilde, which makes it a strange peice to have. The font is also by Kredel, and not a user friendly type. The capital

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A's are odd, and it takes awhile for you to train yourself on all the letter shapes. The symbols are split into various sections, and the text is quite informative, though sometimes a tad mystical. Good set of Christian monograms—a whole section on Christograms. Good sections on alchemical symbols, astrological symbols, and runes. A decent reference work and quick read. Odd bit of trivia with this book, it is the book that the band Led Zeppelin got some of their symbols out of for the untitled fourth album.

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