Semiotics: The Basics

This book has been a great introduction to semiotics. However, it has been more, for when trying to understand what appeared to be unrelated topics I have returned to this book and found new insights which reach into philosophy and ontology.

Daniel Chandler decided to write this book because at the time there were no books providing an introduction to the complex subject of semiotics. There are now a number of titles on the market, but Chandler's is by far the best. At once accessible, Semiotics: The Basics, takes the reader through all the stages in the evolution of an understanding of semiotics and contextualises with clear examples. I used this book while writing my final undergraduate dissertation and had to read many of the other books on semiotics, but this is the book that I kept coming back to when I needed refreshing both in the basics and the more sophisticated concepts of semiotics. If you are an undergraduate just starting a course in semiotics then buy this book. And if you are about to teach a course in semiotics then read this book and recommend it to your students.

'Semiotics: the Basics' is remarkable for its clarity but never simplistic. From Saussure to Barthes, from Peirce to Eco, from Freud to Lacan and Derrida, Daniel Chandler offers a compelling and deeply insightful tour through the labyrinths of structuralism, sign systems, mediation, deconstruction, and other themes. Chandler delivers an essential summary of the major ideas in semiotics theory, but with careful sensitivity to those who are new to these ideas. His explanations are rich with examples. Where appropriate, he relates classical semiotics thinking to the highly mediated, postmodern world of mass communication. Chandler's online 'Semiotics for Beginners' has become the most often referred electronic text on the subject. 'Semiotics: the Basics' will undoubtely become a standard introductory text in undergraduate courses covering any aspect of contemporary communication theory.

Chandler's book is a highly condensed but remarkably lucid overview of semiotics. He combines a keen sense of the historical development of the field with a clear-headed (and much appreciated) delineation of the various semiotic schools. Chandler tosses about jargon with enthusiastic abandon, and although this will no doubt put off some readers -- especially students coming to the discipline for the first time -- the inclusion of a comprehension glossary will help to put most of those concerns to rest.