Éditions Taschen
Book of Symbols - Reflections on Archetypal Images
This encyclopedia offers an in-depth exploration of visual symbols across eras, regions, and cultures. From the sun to the whale, including the human hand, over 800 images are accompanied by scholarly commentary tracing the history of each symbol, its interpretations, and its psychic resonances, providing the reader with a rich and stimulating reference work for a deeper understanding of life, art, and spirituality.
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Information & features
- Author: Ami Ronnberg, Kathleen Martin
- Publication date: August 2010
- Size: 16.8cm x 24cm
- Weight: 1.77g
- ISBN: 978-3-8365-2574-9
- Version:
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Buy the Livre des Symboles (Taschen editions) from our esoteric shop
This encyclopedia dedicated to visual symbols offers a vast journey through eras, cultures, and territories. More than 800 images are gathered here, ranging from the sun to the whale, including the human hand and many universal figures. Each symbol is accompanied by a detailed commentary tracing its history, transformations, and the contexts in which it gained meaning.
An erudite and cross-disciplinary approach
The book combines historical, artistic, and cultural perspectives to show how the same motif can have different meanings depending on the civilization. The successive interpretations are placed back in their original context, allowing an understanding of the evolution of representations and their circulation from one world to another. This approach offers a structured and documented reading of major symbolic figures.
A richly illustrated reference volume
Thanks to the abundance of reproductions and the editorial quality typical of Taschen editions, this book is a reference tool for exploring humanity’s visual imagination. It is aimed at art, history, and spirituality enthusiasts wishing to deepen their understanding of the signs that cross Western culture and other traditions. A dense and stimulating work, designed to nourish reflection and study.
Ami Ronnberg is an editor, author, and researcher specializing in the study of symbols, iconography, and Western spiritual traditions. She became known for her rigorous editorial work on symbolic images, combining art history, psychology, and cultural heritage. She is notably co-author of major iconographic syntheses published by Taschen, which have become reference works.
Kathleen Martin is an art historian and author, recognized for her work on iconography, symbols, and their transmission across cultures. Her approach combines visual analysis, historical sources, and cultural interpretation, with particular attention to the meaning of images in art, religion, and spiritual traditions.
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