J. C. Cooper (1905–1999)
Author of An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols
About the Author
J.C. Cooper writes extensively on philosophy, comparative religion and symbolism
Works by J. C. Cooper
Taoism 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Cooper, Jean Campbell
- Other names
- Cooper, Jean C.
- Birthdate
- 1905
- Date of death
- 1999
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of St Andrews (Philosophy)
- Short biography
- Jean C. Cooper was born at Chefoo in North China. Descended from a branch of the English nobility, she was brought up by Chinese amahs to understand Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, the three religions of China. She went to a British school at Kuling in the mountains of Lushan, traveled the world with her parents, and finished her education at boarding school in England. Cooper read Philosophy at St. Andrew’s University and lectured on Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Symbolism, chiefly in adult education. She lived with her husband in an isolated village in the county of Cumberland in the North-West of England (the Wordsworth country). Amongst other necessities of living in such isolation, she generated her own electricity from a nearby stream.
Cooper is the author of Taoism: The Way of the Mystic, Yin & Yang: The Taoist Harmony of Opposites, Chinese Alchemy: The Taoist Quest for Immortality, Fairy Tales: Allegories of the Inner Life, and An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, which was widely acclaimed for the profundity of its insights and as a permanent and reliable source of information. She was a friend of F. Clive-Ross, who, from 1963 until his death in 1981, edited the British journal Studies in Comparative Religion. Cooper was an untiring reader of books on spirituality and comparative religion, and contributed many book reviews to that journal. - Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
A compilation is only as good as its sources.
This book is a compilation of traditional information -- folklore, myth, religious symbolism, heraldry -- about a wide variety of animals, real and fictitious. And it tries to be close to comprehensive, looking at mythologies from all around the world.
Since no one can know all the world's myths through direct knowledge, any such compiler is dependent upon sources which summarize those myths. And, once in a while, author Cooper does get taken in by show more the sources -- as in the entry on the ramora, or fish that attaches to a boat and anchors it. From some unknown source comes a claim that the Latin name was "delaya." Um, no, that's just a joke form of the word "delayer." And there are a few other such mistakes.
Still, this is a pretty impressive book on the whole. Most of the sources it consults are valuable (that is, they are legitimate summaries of various types of folklore), and the book really does cover a wide variety of myth systems. I wouldn't want to trust anything it says absolutely, without verifying it -- but as a starting point for animal folklore, it is excellent. show less
This book is a compilation of traditional information -- folklore, myth, religious symbolism, heraldry -- about a wide variety of animals, real and fictitious. And it tries to be close to comprehensive, looking at mythologies from all around the world.
Since no one can know all the world's myths through direct knowledge, any such compiler is dependent upon sources which summarize those myths. And, once in a while, author Cooper does get taken in by show more the sources -- as in the entry on the ramora, or fish that attaches to a boat and anchors it. From some unknown source comes a claim that the Latin name was "delaya." Um, no, that's just a joke form of the word "delayer." And there are a few other such mistakes.
Still, this is a pretty impressive book on the whole. Most of the sources it consults are valuable (that is, they are legitimate summaries of various types of folklore), and the book really does cover a wide variety of myth systems. I wouldn't want to trust anything it says absolutely, without verifying it -- but as a starting point for animal folklore, it is excellent. show less
This is the sort of book which the internet has largely made redundant. In itself, it was quite an achievement as a single volume reference text covering a wide range of civilisations on many continents, albeit without much contextualisation.
It is a 'ready reckoner'. It stays on the library shelf to allow a quick check of possible meanings of symbols in probable contexts before going on to explore matters through far more useful online resources. If you have it, keep it but you probably show more don't need it if you do not. show less
It is a 'ready reckoner'. It stays on the library shelf to allow a quick check of possible meanings of symbols in probable contexts before going on to explore matters through far more useful online resources. If you have it, keep it but you probably show more don't need it if you do not. show less
This is the only "dream" reference book I have ever found useful because you can discover the diiferences between say Celtic, Christian, Judaic. Buddhist meanings and allow your unconscious to pick up on these. Also some facinating, if small, illustraions. A reference must.
In nearly 1500 entries, many of them strikingly and often surprisingly illustrated, J. C. Cooper has documented the history and evolution of symbols from prehistory to our own day.
With over 200 illustrations and lively, informative and often ironic texts, she discusses and explains an enormous variety of symbols extending from the Arctic to Dahomey, from the Iroquois to Oceana, and coming from systems as diverse as Tao, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Tantra, the cult of Cybele and show more the Great Goddess, the Pre-Columbian religions of the Western Hemisphere and the Voodoo cults of Brazil and West Africa.
Source: Publisher: 1987 eBook edition show less
With over 200 illustrations and lively, informative and often ironic texts, she discusses and explains an enormous variety of symbols extending from the Arctic to Dahomey, from the Iroquois to Oceana, and coming from systems as diverse as Tao, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Tantra, the cult of Cybele and show more the Great Goddess, the Pre-Columbian religions of the Western Hemisphere and the Voodoo cults of Brazil and West Africa.
Source: Publisher: 1987 eBook edition show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 14
- Members
- 1,086
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 8
- ISBNs
- 70
- Languages
- 13
- Favorited
- 1