Handbook of Pictorial Symbols

Pictorial symbols furnish travelers and motorists with important information at airports and on highways and are frequently used on packages, clothing, and appliances from around the world. The international use of these symbols is steadily increasing, and this handbook brings together 3,250 examples from numerous sources.
Here are symbols that represent children and young adults, teachers, family groups, women, men, airplanes, cars and other vehicles, farmers, crime, money and finance, government and politics, clothing, machinery, entertainment, and many other symbolic categories. Then come two sections of public symbols for telephone, restroom, coffee shops, and 32 other basic facilities, arranged first by service or facility and then by system — Department of Transportation, Netherlands Railroad, Tokyo Olympic Games, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Montreal Expo, and 20 others. Also included are symbols from additional systems, such as European Road signs, U.S. Weather Bureau Cloud Code Charts, and the Netherlands Statistical Foundation Symbols by G. Arntz. A detailed table of contents and an index direct users to specific symbols.
Unequaled for its breadth and ease of use, this comprehensive sourcebook is a necessity for anyone working in the field of pictography. It is also a primary source for graphic artists who must convey information to an international audience. Anyone interested in the development of universal graphic symbols will find this book a treasury of essential material.

Pictorial symbols furnish travelers and motorists with important information at airports and on highways and are frequently used on packages, clothing, and appliances from around the world. The international use of these symbols is steadily increasing, and this handbook brings together 3,250 examples from numerous sources.
Here are symbols that represent children and young adults, teachers, family groups, women, men, airplanes, cars and other vehicles, farmers, crime, money and finance, government and politics, clothing, machinery, entertainment, and many other symbolic categories. Then come two sections of public symbols for telephone, restroom, coffee shops, and 32 other basic facilities, arranged first by service or facility and then by system—Department of Transportation, Netherlands Railroad, Tokyo Olympic Games, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Montreal Expo, and 20 others. Also included are symbols from additional systems, such as European Road signs, U.S. Weather Bureau Cloud Code Charts, and the Netherlands Statistical Foundation Symbols by G. Arntz. A detailed table of contents and an index direct users to specific symbols.
Unequaled for its breadth and ease of use, this comprehensive sourcebook is a necessity for anyone working in the field of pictography. It is also a primary source for graphic artists who must convey information to an international audience. Anyone interested in the development of universal graphic symbols will find this book a treasury of essential material.
Dover (1976) original publication.