Jan 2006 Present - This was a bargain bin purchase from Barnes & Noble, and the version I have actually has a different cover (mine is black).

Coming from the more detailed studies of Joseph Campbell and Aleister Crowley (whose work on symbols and correspondences is fascinating, even if he was a bit odd himself), this book was somewhat a disappointment. It's probably a good book for grade school through high school, which might be its target market, but for any serious, in-depth research into symbolism, I'd look elsewhere.

The overall strength of this guide is the photos. The pictures are very nice, but at times I was puzzled by the choice of images used. Some pictures are of paintings or statues that are not very clear, or do not represent the classical version of the symbol in question. Perhaps this is an attempt to move away from the predictable.

At times, this work is biased toward Western (and specifically, North American) culture, particularly in the explanation of hand gestures. More troubling is the extreme Christian spin placed on so many of the symbols, while disregarding the possibility of other interpretations. This may reveal a motivation by the publisher, or it may have been a creative choice. Either way I found this type of filtering troubling, and it dilutes the overall work.