Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are surrounded by hundreds of symbols every day. Some of them are as old as humanity, while others have found their way in the modern, technological culture.

The book “Signs & Symbols of the world” offers a broad review of over 1000 symbols from subjects such as alchemy, astrology, chemistry, digital, language, military, music, mythology, religions, and pagan symbols and sigils.

It is a great informative read and starting point for further studies. This book is very interdisciplinary and would appear to a broad audience. “Signs & Symbols of the world” is not overwhelming with information and contains a wide variety of topics. It has a great graphic design and could be used as an inspiration for artistic work.

Who is this book for:

✦ Someone who loves learning and discovering the meaning of various symbols.
✦ A person interested in symbolism, religions, and mythology.
✦ Audience with eclectic hobbies that combine many interdisciplinary practices.
✦ Artists and writers, especially graphic designers and tattoo artists.
✦ Someone who needs a quick reference for various symbols and signs.

What could be improved:

The book is informative although in a minimalistic way. I’d love to see more narrowed downed topics in separate editions, for example - religion symbolism, mythological symbols, etc.

* Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was beyond the moon reading this mammoth of a book. It is educational and entertaining in equal measure which is what makes it so perfect. Each symbol mentioned has a crisp historical anecdote and information regarding its usage.

I do believe that symbols are a very intrinsic part of our lives, so commonplace that we often don't think of them as a separate entity (unless one has to give a driving test haha) I think this gorgeous book {and it is gorgeous} can find a cozy place on your coffee table, I'm certainly going to buy it for mine!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this creation!

This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with plenty of insight into a fascinating topic written in an accessible and eminently readable fashion. Not only it insightful and educational but it's also entertaining to read; the best of both worlds. Filled with prominent signs and symbols as well those on the more esoteric side, McElroy takes us on a jaunt through different periods of time, different religions and a vast array of topics all utilising signs and symbolism and gives a brief overview and explanation of them, where they originate and what they mean. What more could you ask for?

[review of uncorrected page proofs]
This heavily-illustrated reference book, ideal for the iconophile, features 20 alphabetical chapters ranging from Alchemy to Writing & Punctuation. Many of the illustrations are meant to look hand-drawn and the quality of the illustrations varies greatly from one chapter to the next. The introduction doesn't state the author's actual intent for this volume. This might serve as a reference for library patrons looking for tattoo ideas. Practitioners of the occult arts will be drawn to the chapters on alchemy, Celtic symbols (though runes are lumped into that chapter as well), and the separate chapter on Sigils & Paganism.

What a fantastic journey across time and cultures. Signs & Symbols of the World is a handy resource in a plethora of categories. While not entirely comprehensive, and some of the definitions are Western-culture specific, it did show several symbols that I was not familiar with. This book is very suitable for high school students and above.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Chartwell Books for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I received a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I try to be nice when reviewing books. Even if they are "not for me" often I can see who a book might be for. This is a book I have nothing nice to say about.

It does talk about signs and symbols, but not in any logical, or systematic way. It just comes across as a fairly arbitrary list of symbols, with very brief, simplistic descriptions. There are a couple of places I noticed the text was just incorrect - like the information about Scottish tartans, and other where it is misleading, like when they brag about the American dollar being the currency of the world, and then say that "Australia and Canada also use the dollar, but they have different values". We could explore why we all call out currency "dollar".
It mixes widely used symbols (like putting the hands up for "surrender") with popular culture (the Vulcan "live long and prosper hand gesture) with no explanation as to the cultural difference. If you know, you don't need this book, and if you don't it will just confuse you more.

Mainly I can't see the point of this book. It's not a reference book and it doesn't explore anything, It just exists.

Covering in its own sweet way everything from how the symbols in the Highway Code were developed to whether or not Oreo cookies have alchemical, potentially satanist marks on them, this is a very interesting pictorial discussion of all such things. It is, however, a quite frustrating one. Yes, it can show us some Chinese kanji, but surely so few of them it's just a double-page spread of them for the novelty of seeing them (and another thing, why is that for 'morality' next door to the one for 'thick'?!). Yes, the book has a great scope of things, but only manages to touch on them in the briefest of fashion. So we don't get the full tarot, just the glyphs for the major arcana, and we get next to nothing about how the Polynesian tattoo has turned from unique cultural essence to skank stamp (I'm serious in saying that when I grow up and become a scientist I will do a study into how many people with such twatty, tatty tats can actually draw anything like the design, and I'm sure the percentage will be on the fingers of two hands at most).

No, this book is definitely aware that it can only cope with a dozen of the traditional Tartan patterns, or only some of the world's more obscure traffic warning signs. Where this book does come into its own is in being a basic primer for so many diverse messaging systems – the Welsh love spoon has a language all its own, so that's here, and so on. Get past the frustration of having half a page to it, and two images, and you'll be grateful for the heads-up into it existing, but that's all it is. There's a fine line between the vital (hazardous material and other warning signs) and the utterly trivial. This book then is a shop window to copious ways of passing on messages, claiming familiarity and kinship, and everything else the subjects represented. But a shop window, or use the Internet's vastest databases to see the full picture? Those little stars alongside this write-up may suitably imply I'm not sure which I would be more grateful to use in future.

Putting Signs and Symbols of the World together seems like such a monumental task. When I was reading through it, I couldn't believe how many different symbols there were! Yes, the subtitle says over 1001 signs, but that's not something you can compute until you actually see it.

McElroy does an excellent job of providing enough context to explain the symbol. This style also allows the reader to decide if they want to know more or not, at which point they could go research the symbol using the knowledge from this book.

I don't have a particular interest in technological, manufacturing, or scientific symbols, but I definitely find them useful and think it would be beneficial to have on hand if the need ever arose. I loved the inclusion of symbols from different cultures (like the Chinese Zodiac), as I think that would allow readers of all ages (but specifically young readers) the chance to broaden their worldview.

I definitely recommend buying this book, especially for those who may be super curious about the different facets that make up the world and our society. I know I eagerly await its publication.

Overall rating: 5/5

Signs & Symbols of the World will be available for purchase on July 6th. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's available for purchase. Also, be sure to check out D. R. McElroy's website!

I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was an insightful read of signs and symbols from around the world, different cultures and religions, etc etc. it included a large collection of those existing in the world today and from ancient time and provided generalized info for each one without being too lengthy or boring. this book would be great as a coffee table book or used as reference for different things. i personally look forward to using some of these symbols in my historical fantasy novels i'm working on. great read.

“Signs and Symbols of the World” by D.R. McElroy was an intriguing read containing a wealth of knowledge though a wide variety of categories. Topics such as alchemy, Celtic symbols, chemistry, currency, ideograms, military, music, mythology, popular gesture, religion, and more, delivered to the reader in way to give one just the right amount of information on the origin and background of any given symbol, without going overboard and losing the reader.

McElroy’s writing style and organization of the content is well put together. Even the most knowledgeable readers will learn something new on the symbols we see every day. I would absolutely recommend this book as a gift or as a display in your home. Great conversation starter as a coffee table book or a great gift for those with curious minds.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Chartwell Books, for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Very basic collection of symbols. Only small generalised information is provided. Does include modern signage such as emojis. Suitable for high school students studying design concepts.

*eArc provided by publisher and NetGalley

The signs and symbols of the world book is a good introduction into the use of symbols for someone who is interested in learning about them. This book has good illustrations and a wide array of subjects it touches upon. I was most impressed with the addition of the modern gender representation symbols because i haven’t seen that in other symbolism books and it is an important addition. This book touches on a lot of different subjects but only on a preliminary level.

I was granted eARC access to Signs & Symbols of the World by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Overall this is a really interesting book for those who are curious about the world. It would be great as a coffee table book, something for waiting rooms, or a treasured addition to the bookshelves of the generally curious. In some cases, like with laundry and dashboard symbols, this is the only reference someone would need. In most cases, this is a jumping-off point; an introduction to a topic one might want to look into further.

It's full of things you might expect to see in a book on symbols, like a brief introduction to ancient hieroglyphics, a full explanation of western and eastern astrology symbols, a guide to what the markings on your laundry labels mean, etc. It also has things you probably wouldn't ever dream of finding in such a broad, general guide, like Scottish tartans and what common animals in mythology tend to represent.

Could you learn to read sheet music from this book? Yes, enough to teach yourself basic piano or sing from sheet music. Are you going to translate hieroglyphics or ancient Celtic runes from the brief mentions here? Probably not. This is an introduction, and those are complex linguistic archaeology topics.

My biggest criticism of this book (besides the fact that the eARC had individual page orientation issues - I don't expect to see that in the final printing) is how USA-centric it is. For example, in the section on common gestures, the "hand over heart" gesture is explained for lots of cultures with China mentioned in the first two sentences... but the heading is "Pledge of Allegiance." Really guys? This Canadian galley reviewer is rolling her eyes.

If you're curious about the world around you, want an interesting conversation starter for your living room, or have a waiting room to adorn with reading material, this is definitely a great option.