Huston Diehl's Index of Icons in English Emblem Books is an essential reference for the scholar of Renaissance emblematics. Emblems, those mixes of allegorical picture with latin sententiae or poem, were ubiquitous through renaissance literature, visual arts, and theatre. Early modern English intellectuals, from Protestant sermonists to Shakespeare, utilized these moralistic "speaking pictures" as references in their work.

And Diehl has provided an easily usable and complete index of emblematic icons in his work. Although earlier compilations of English emblems, including those by Peter Daly, were useful Diehl's work saves the scholar innummerable hours trying to find obscure iconic references.