Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Dover Publications (1955), 112 pages
Description
Famed German type designer renders 493 symbols: religious, alchemical, imperial, runes, property marks, etc. Timeless.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AdocentynLibrary
Excellent book, beuatifully rendered. Translated from German by Vyvyan Holland, Oscar Wilde's son. Excellent summary of many common symbol systems, beautifully illustrated with woodblock prints by Fritz Kredel. This English edition dates from 1930. This book was a great source of joy during my
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childhood.--AMK Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
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.
LibraryThing member mykl-s
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. Show Less
LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
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. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1930
Physical description
9.2 inches
ISBN
0486201627 / 9780486201627
UPC
800759201624
Local notes
SS An excellent magickal compendium.This has been one of my(AK) favorite books since childhood. The translator is Oscar Wilde's son.
Other editions
The Book of Signs (Dover Pictorial Archive) by Rudolf Koch (Paperback)
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A dictionary of symbols / by J.E. Cirlot ; translated from the Spanish by Jack Sage ; foreword by Herbert Read by Juan Eduardo Cirlot