This weekend I was at an antique store. At that antique store I found of the grails. It’s a book that’s full of kickass stuff! Learn more about that below, but FIRST, look at what’s in the back. Hobo Symbols. I know you’ve been walking around in the sewers and/or streets wondering what those marks were made with chalk. Check them all out right here right now.

*Yes, I found a book called “Symbols, Signs, & Signets.” It’s full of everything a symbologist or, alternatively, a graphic designer, could ever want to feast their black and white (and no grays inbetween) eyeballs on. Icons and icons and icons forever! Check out the cover and details below in the gallery, then also see a little explanation of the hobo marks.

I’m not sure weather this is offensive to all those street people out there. If you are a street person and would like to file a complaint, please leave a comment. But I must say, you hobos are really awesome for making this great sign system!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies on the street category.

15 Comments

• Posted by josh | 01.05.10

  i remember that dishonest man one from a flashback in ‘mad men’.

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.06.10

  oh super neat

• Posted by tudza | 01.06.10

  I don’t think there is such a thing as a symbologist really, except in the mind of that person who wrote The Stuff I Made Up about Da Vinci Code.

  Can you post scans of the whole section on hobo signs somewhere?

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.06.10

  i agree with your comment about the da vinci code – but i wish there really was such a thing. i really doooooooooooooooooooooooooo! also do you need the scan for a school project or something? i could scan it eventually, but for now, photos.

• Posted by Diaz | 01.06.10

  mad groovy, man

  what’s the book called?
  what else is in there?

  you can’t leave us hanging on this thread

• Posted by Dardo Robinson | 01.06.10

  Could you send me those scans?

  Best regards from Brazil, great post!

• Posted by izza | 01.06.10

  hahaha, thats awesome! thanks for sharing

• Posted by swatchaholic | 01.06.10

  Swatch designed a watch back in ’99 with hobo symbols on it. Link below shows picture.

  http://www.squiggly.com/us/en/swatch/urban-slang-GK328.htm

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.06.10

  Symbols, Signs, & Signets — in the gallery there’s close pics of inside the front cover for more info und etc etc — plus i’ll be making more posts eventually with the rest of the contents probably

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.06.10

  AMAZING! Nice looking out!

  EVERYONE – add that to my birthday list

• Posted by Sherman Warren | 01.06.10

  Artist ReBecca Gozion has been using these symbols in her work for years!

  It’s one of the obscure languages she’s studied.

  You can see her work at http://www.rebeccagozion.com

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.06.10

  fantastic!

• Posted by DUG1138 | 01.07.10

  This was one of my favorite books, as a child. I love the section on Alchemy too.

• Posted by bookgrrrrl | 01.11.10

  actually, there is such a thing as a semiologist or semiotician. these are scholars who study the history and meaning of symbols (one of the very many things dan brown, the author of the appallingly historically inaccurate da vinci code book, knows little to nothing about). perhaps the most famous semiotician is umberto eco, author of “the name of the rose” and “foucault’s pendulum” amongst other books. he is at the university of bologna and is one of the world’s leading intellectuals.

  your book is truly a delightful find. the history of hobos is actually quite interesting (homeless people today are not known by this term), and since you’ve purchased the book it might be interesting to look into it a bit further.

• Posted by Chris Burns | 01.11.10

  Yeah I was hesitant to use the word “HOBO”, but, since it was the title already, I stuck with it. – I’m definitely going to check into this man Eco, sounds interesting! Thank you!

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