The Secret Language of Symbols: A Visual Key to Symbols and their Meanings David Fontana. Piatkus Books. 1997. 192pp. £12.99 paperback.

I know some people who begin to glaze over the moment you mention ‘symbolism’ - perhaps it’s the ‘ism’. Well, this book banishes the ism and makes the world of symbols as accessible as a trip to Alton Towers. Readers will soon realise how heavily impregnated our world is - and our minds are - by symbols. The good news is that symbols don’t have to be learnt; they are felt.
    This book covers a very great deal of ground (everything from Kabbalah and Alchemy to Mandalas, Myths, Archetypes, Food & Drink, Dreams, Heaven & Hell, Ritual - even Monkeys and Elephants - and all illustrated in rich colours). Relying heavily on the Jungian thought-revolution (with the occasional woolliness which goes with that approach), David Fontana’s book is a well-ordered, accessible and comprehensive introduction to its subject.
    Tobias Churton