This book, at 684 pages, is encyclopedic in structure and length. I found fewer illustrations than I expected; perhaps one in ten entries were illustrated. The book makes up for that by explaining the symbolism of animals, elements, and geometric and mathematical concepts, for example. Symbols hail from many sources and religions. There is even the number forty-two listed as the secret of "life, the universe, and everything." It seems that mankind cannot leave anything to be what it is; everything must be a symbol of something else.

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