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The Illustrated Book of Heraldry
THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF HERALDRY, an International History of Heraldry and Its Contemporary Uses [Hardcover] Slater Stephen
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 7, 2015
I wanted to design a coat of arms for my family, asked for, and got this book for Christmas. It was extremely informative though not precisely what I had expected. I'd hoped for a book of symbols, colors in heraldry and what they represented. There was some of that, but more was a history of heraldry and using symbols in battle and personal identification.
Some of it was kind of boring, but also I found neat facts where I didn't expect them - like how the Japanese used a different set of symbols in different ways for personal and battlefield identification. They covered different trends in heraldry over time and in different countries. They also provide advice on how not to get swindled by people trying to sell you a coat of arms that isn't legitimate.
The major thing I would improve is the use of even more illustrations, some things were referred to in the text that I kept thinking "yeah, but can you show me a picture of that?" While they touch on the heraldry terminology, there wasn't a strong enough review of it to support the extensive use of specific terms later on in the text.
I learned a lot and now have a much better idea of what kind of symbols I want to use to help represent my family.
Some of it was kind of boring, but also I found neat facts where I didn't expect them - like how the Japanese used a different set of symbols in different ways for personal and battlefield identification. They covered different trends in heraldry over time and in different countries. They also provide advice on how not to get swindled by people trying to sell you a coat of arms that isn't legitimate.
The major thing I would improve is the use of even more illustrations, some things were referred to in the text that I kept thinking "yeah, but can you show me a picture of that?" While they touch on the heraldry terminology, there wasn't a strong enough review of it to support the extensive use of specific terms later on in the text.
I learned a lot and now have a much better idea of what kind of symbols I want to use to help represent my family.
July 24, 2019
Great visual resource for understanding heraldry.
December 31, 2019
Great information
June 22, 2014
A slow read but not a bad one. The print in this book was small, and it contained a lot of information. An up to date introduction to the subject of heraldry.
September 20, 2019
The first half gives a clear description of the form and history of heraldry. The second half starts to tail off and become repetitive.
February 7, 2018
A wonderful trip through the heraldic custom, starting from early middle ages up to present day. The book is quite thorough, covering its origins, its language and its evolution.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews