Encyclopedia of semiotics /

Bouissac's encyclopedia includes detailed information on the basic, historical notion of semiotics even before it had a name, the growth and development of new models and critical areas of inquiry, and the "advances in the information sciences, the cognitive neurosciences, and evolutionary biology" that have given rise to more and more "disciplinary hybrids." More than 100 professionals have contributed 300 articles, which are followed by carefully chosen bibliographies. Extensive cross-references and a detailed index contribute to the usefulness of the scope of this work, which extends beyond the range of topics in previously published works of a similar nature. This reference book will be valuable for students and professionals at all upper levels interested in "their proficiency in the language and concepts of semiotics and cultural history." W. B. Warde Jr. University of North Texas

The science of semiotics is rapidly expanding, encompassing disciplines as diverse as computer science, film criticism, linguistics, philosophy, geography, and anthropology. Bouissac, author of Iconicity (1986) and a regular contributor to Semiotica, has created a comprehensive, well-written, and understandable reference work that allows a wide variety of students and scholars to access current semiotic theory and research. Each signed entry is well documented and contains bibliographic entries for further inquiry. Excellent coverage of well-known and lesser-known theorists, including Barthes, Eco, Bogatyrev, and Levi-Strauss; subject entries as diverse as "Cartoons," "Cartology," "Stereotype," and Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen's "Facial Action Coding" system; and an extensive index make this volume another fine example of the publisher's commitment to scholarship. This is a good companion volume to Thomas A. Sebeok's An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Semiotics (Mouton de Gruyter, 1994) and a required purchase for all academic libraries and large public libraries.‘Kevin M. Roddy, Univ. of Hawaii Lib., Hilo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.