Symbolism was an essential part of the ancient art of the Orient and of the medieval tradition in the West. It has been lately revived in the study of the unconscious, both directly in the fields of dreams, visions, and psychoanalysis, and indirectly, in art and poetry.

In this important work, originally published in 1962, author J.E. Cirlot presents an extensive study of symbolism in all of its aspects. While this book acts as a general reference for symbological studies by clarifying the essential meaning of every symbol, many of the entries--such as Cross, Dragon, Graphics, Numbers, Serpent, Tree, Water, and Zodiac--can be read as independent essays.

Using a comparative method, the book specifies the precise sources of information taken from a great number of widely varying fields. Complete with a forewaord contributed by Herbert Read, an in-depth introduction, thirty-two pages of photographic plates, a comprehensive bibliography and index, and significant updating of the original edition, A Dictionary of Symbols is an authoritative compendium of symbology.