The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs

I have been eyeballing this book for literally years now. It's been there seemingly forever, in my Wish List, always taunting me from afar, looking so tempting and beautiful. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $75.00 that it cost. I was beginning to think it might never lower in price but it finally did! For now at least, but I hope it stays reduced so that others can enjoy it more easily as well.Fantastic book! I knew it would be. It is almost exactly what I expected it to be, although with more in-depth text than I anticipated. I knew it was lavishly illustrated with the author's original brush drawings, the talent of which I cannot fathom, but there's also a very good amount of text detailing the history, custom and usage of the various motifs, symbols and other art. Pages of detailed information, not just captions. I won't list the contents of the book here because other reviewers have already generously done that. I will say it's a book to be cherished and treated with the same level of respect and care that clearly went into planning it. It took many years of meticulous drawing to offer us the opportunity to sit, admire and learn from this book, and I for one am very thankful.To be clear: It is NOT color. There are ZERO pages with color. That could really disappoint someone who spends a lot of money expecting full color or even any color, so I just wanted to make that known. I am usually a person who likes color in books, especially an illustrated encyclopedia of Buddhist and Tibetan art! Tibetan art is known for it's vibrant color combinations as seen in Thangka art for example. And while I would *really love* to see a full color version of this book, I also have full appreciation for it's lack of real need for it in this case. The art is so detailed that in a strange way it might actually cheapen it somehow if it were in color. In any case, color or not is personal preference, I'll just say that in no way should lack of color imply dull with this book, that's for sure. Every page is stunning.Gorgeous brush drawings aside; I am also learning a great deal from the book. It's not something I can sit and easily digest much of at once, it's a very thick volume made for reference and that's how I use it. But I am amazed each time I look something up and learn much more than I expected. Lots of information here, this is really a must-have for anyone seriously interested in Tibetan symbolism, especially Tibetan Buddhist symbolism. It is one of a kind that I am aware of. I've searched over the years for a less expensive book on Tibetan/Buddhist symbols, but have found none so in-depth and seriously put together as this one. The same author did also publish a similar book "The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols", which from my understanding is a MUCH less detailed book which may be good for someone only looking for light knowledge, but it is not a paperback version of this book, and shouldn't be confused with this encyclopedia.One final note, I was very pleased to see that Amazon shipped this with the book itself in tight protective plastic covering it (most books I order don't have this plastic), which kept the pages intact and perfect. It's too nice a book to have been tossed loose in a box, so I am glad they kept it protected as the publisher intended.I am very happy that I finally splurged and treated myself to this and I hope you treat yourself too! Namaste.

I was really just looking for a book with pictures of symbols to use in my art, but this is quite an intensive book, much more than I expected. It truly is an encyclopedia. I've not done much more than browse through it, so as for quality of the information within, I can't be too certain, but it looks to be very professionally done. I'm happy I purchased it.

Just got this book and was immediately engrossed. It seems quite well researched and provides a lot more information than just what the symbols mean, For example it not only told the symbolism behind the water offering, but described the entire process for carrying one out. I wish it had an index, but the book is well organized and so far I have been able to find everything I looked for. Also, each illustration plate often contain a dozen or more items. The body of the text describes them by their location (e.g. the third item in the second intermediate row), but it would be more clear if each item were labeled by a number or letter. All in all, however, an excellent book and I'm very happy to have it in my library.

This book is even bigger and more extensive than I thought it would be. It is beautiful, well researched, well written, informative and educational. I gave it a well deserved 5, but I found myself wishing it was at least in part in color and that it had drawings and explanations of the Buddhas in it.

I love this book and use it quite often as an artist. I’m so happy to have come across this item and it truly gives the reader a deeper understanding of the meaning behind ancient Tibetan art.

Excellent book. Excellent packaging. Excellent price. I am a bargain hunter and this book was difficult to find at an affordable price. This book is very in depth and not meant for casual reading. For Vajrayana practitioners it helps immeasurably.

I love this book. Having found it a few years back at a tattoo shop in Santa Cruz, California, I was only able to look at it for a short time but I was able to gain so much knowledge as to the wealth of designs and deep meaning found in Tibetan art. This book stayed in my mind thereafter. Here it is a few years and a couple tattoos later and the book resurfaced on Amazon. Great price, great condition and prompt service. This book is great for one who has interest in Tibetan art and it's symbolic nature. The concepts are well articulated and with each 'type' placed into a different chapter it makes refrencing quite simple. If you are interested, get this book!

This book is excellent reference for all artists. We use it constantly in the tattoo shop, it has designs for a wide variety of Tibetan and asian motifs. Very clear and precise illustrations too

Exactement conforme à la description. Ce livre est très intéressant

Libro completo e dettagliato per chi vuole conoscere la simbologia dell'arte tibetana

Beautiful book.

Obra magnífica. Para qualquer pessoa que queira se aprofundar na semiótica dos objetos rituais, simbologias concretas ou abstratas do universo religioso tibetano, tem aqui uma fonte poderosa.

Great book!