Peace: The Biography of a Symbol

by Ken Kolsbun

As the boomer generation moves onward through the milestones of life, 1960s nostalgia holds tremendous meaning today. And nothing more eloquently symbolizes the counterculture era than the peace sign. How did this simple sketch become so powerful an image? The Biography of a Symbol tells the surprising story of the sign in words and pictures, from its origins in the nuclear disarmament efforts of the late 1950s to its adoption by the antiwar movement of the 1960s, through its stint as a mass-marketed commodity and its enduring relevance now. As the symbol’s popularity blossomed, so did an entire generation, and author Ken Kolsbun’s expertly selected images―from his own collections as well as a variety of historical archives―illustrate both the sign itself and the larger history that it helped to shape. Along the way, the book recounts the controversy inspired by the peace symbol, bringing to light several trials that challenged its very existence. Drawing on exclusive archival interviews with Gerald Holtom, the late creator of the symbol, Peace recounts its birth and goes on to build a historic portrait using both iconic and rarely seen photographs. With guaranteed appeal for audiences who flocked to Hippie several years ago, Peace will also capture fans of symbology, art, and history―and will pose an interesting counterpoint to the 2008 election. The compact trim size and low price point will help to position Peace as both affordable gift and easy impulse purchase.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Historical, Politics

176 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most recognizable symbols in the world is the peace sign. Yet few could answer questions about who created it. Where did it come from? This celebration of the peace sign's six decades in protest, art, and pop culture is sure to bring back readers' own memories about its use.

During the first Persian Gulf War, my father yelled at me for wearing cheap jewelry with peace signs on it. Not because he disagreed with the sentiment, but because he remembered the era when Vietnam War protesters were abused or had property vandalized. However, the symbol had passed into general fashion by then and let's face it, my chances of being politically attacked as an elementary school student were pretty low.

Much later, in high school, I became interested in 1960s era music, in which peaceful sentiment was of course a major component. The US wasn't involved in any major wars at the time (something hard to conceive of in these days of perpetual war), and the peace sign wasn't really seen as controversial. However, a classmate told me that I shouldn't wear the peace symbol because it was, in actuality, an upside-down and broken Christian cross. That didn't seem right to me--I didn't think the image would have become so widely accepted and commercialized if that were true. However, this was before the time of instant access to the whole of human knowledge via the Internet, and I didn't really have a response to that claim.

I was in college when 9/11 happened, and I'll never forget walking across a silent campus on the surreal morning of Sept. 12, to see that someone had chalked a big red, white, and blue peace sign around the bottom of the flag pole. It's interesting to think that, in the aggressive and jingoistic period that followed, the first reaction people had was patriotic but also peaceful. After that, the groundswell against the new Iraq War and George W. Bush didn't really occur until after I had graduated.

So now we've entered an era of Trump and neverending war, and the peace sign seems to have entered an area of both fashion/commercialization (you can buy tons of peace sign stuff at Walmart) and protest (it's still a mainstay at protests and demonstrations for a wide variety of causes).

And as for the argument that the peace sign has some sinister or anti-Christian meaning, the book actually addresses this. That claim originated with the extreme right wing 1960s-era group the John Birch Society, and it was debunked by the press even back them. In actuality, Gerald Holtom, creator of the symbol, had originated it as a sign for the cause of nuclear disarmament. Thus, the peace sign is a stylized rendition of the "N" and "D" semaphores.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in high school, my church's youth group leader told us that the peace sign was anti-Christian because it symbolizes the broken arms of the cross. At the time I was dubious that was even true, and unconvinced that it would be a horrible thing even if it were. Couldn't it have been an expression of sadness at the state of the world, sort of What Would Jesus Think? It is, of course, nonsense in any event, but nonsense that's been around for a long time.

Really, the book is at least as much about peace movements since the 50s, maybe even more so. The two are very entwined, after all, but I did end up feeling like I'd read a history of peace movements since 1950 instead of just a history of the peace symbol. For example, there was precious little about the popular and commercial use of the symbol outside activism. It was a fairly good read on that subject, though.

There were tons of pictures, many quite good. Very little that popped with color in the same way that the cover did, though.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the origins and history of the peace symbol. This information is interspersed with some general history facts for between 1958 (the year the peace symbol was created) and 2008 (the current year, 50 years later.) I found it very interesting. It really brought me back to the 1960s and other eras too. It’s a spare little book with a lot of photos and peace symbol art, but it is jam packed with information; it is not really a coffee table type book as I anticipated it might be.

[Cendaquenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good but I would have preferred a more global perspective. After a chapter or two at the start explaining the symbol's British origins, the book was pretty much solely focused on the USA.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this a few years ago at a friend's house, but they lived out of state, so I purchased it when it went on sale from NatGeo. I loved finding out about the history and meaning of this symbol and how it is used all over the world.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Nicoletta Barrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

PEACE takes us through five decades, and it does so using an exciting colorful and busy design with pictures old and new. Sidebars include Flashbacks that give examples of what was going on globally in a specific year and profiles of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Peter Max and John Lennon. In addition to images of peace marches and other historical events are peace symbols in all shapes, sizes and materials on anything from Valentine candy to people’s faces to writing in the sky. The text ties the peace movement maybe a little too much to drugs in the chapters on the sixties and seventies. And the last chapter is on the commercialization of the peace symbol.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the concept behind this book was very interesting, and the documentation was well done, but I didn't care for the design of the book as it was laid out in a way that made reading certain sections difficult. I liked how Kolsbun followed the evolution of the peace sign across the decades, and provided "snapshots" of important people or events during those years. Even though I gave the book a low rating, I would still suggest teens read it if they are interested because it presents a lot of valuable historical information that they may otherwise not come into contact with.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the peace symbol. (ND, not broken cross.) Various myths have propagated as to its origins, but this book has the definitive answer, as well as many heretofore little seen photos of the peace sign in counter- and popular culture. This book would also do as a light introduction to the history of the peace movement. It's definitely worth a look if only for the photos, and a quick scan for peace factoids.

[Karen]

Just glanced through it so far but it looks good. I have so many books going at the moment but plan to read it soon. Last Sunday I went to hear the author talk about his book. It was very fascinating and fun to hear the history of the peace symbol. I hadn't realized that it was 50 years old this year and what the original meaning was. If you have the chance to go to one of his readings, I recommend going.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever wonder how the peace symbol came about? It started from the semaphore symbols for "N" (for "nuclear") and "D" (for "disarmament") by a British designer in 1958, for use in an upcoming peace march.
Interesting dig into the history of a fairly new pop culture symbol that many of us take for granted.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't much in the narrative that I didn't already know, but graphically it does the era justice and then some. A good primer for an important subject.

[Jeff Brailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and informative read and a good history of the peace symbol.

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos. Lots of interesting history. A quick and easy read.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, quick look at the history of the peace symbol. There were some fascinating historical anecdotes, but there were occasionally some layout issues that made some pages hard/annoying to read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting at first, but a nice introduction to the anti-nuclear movement and the creation and use of the peace symbol in the 20th century.

[Miana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really enjoyable read with its bright, colorful pictures and a lot of interesting and new info I didn't know about the peace symbol.