Discoveries: Heraldry

by Michel Pastoureau

Including a glossary of crests, a history of the European tradition of heraldry explains its origins, the meaning of its colors and symbols, and its survival in the world's flags, emblems, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810928302
• ISBN13: 9780810928305
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Short but good.

This compact book is one the best available in the USA (still in print) if you are interested in non-British heraldry. It includes a good deal of information on the social history of heraldry that is hard to find elsewhere. The other must-have book written from a similar perspective is Ottfried Neubecker's Heraldry: Symbols, Sources, and Meaning. Rated as a 4 ONLY because it is so short.

Quick and excellent intro to heraldry

Pastoureau has managed to fit in a little book enough information about heraldry to get the novice interested in this noble art. Naturally, it does not go into the same level of detail as Boutell's Heraldry and it is not intended to. If you have a passing interest in heraldry, coats of arms, etc. but don't know much about it, this is your starter book. If you want to introduce heraldry to teenagers, this is a perfect book. If you are an "old hand" in heraldry, this will be a quick and very enjoyable read.

An excellent introduction

This book strikes a superb balance between being informative and entertaining -- a good, solid introduction to the interpretation of heraldry, with a lucid writing style, lots of good examples, and clear-cut explanations. And, what's more, the book moves on from the basics of interpreting heraldic symbols to discussions of specific topics; these topics are surprisingly diverse, and fun to explore. A fine addition to anyone's book collection.

Colorful, Compact, and Complete...

I have been reading the library's copy of this teeny book and find it full of info and pictures. I was going through an encyclopedia of Arms (in Picardy and Artois) Pastoureau wrote (en francais of course) and grabbed this for something in english. Here he covers the history and development of arms in a wide variety of European countries, dispells the major myths about the origins of heraldic arms and discusses how they have evolved into contemporary times. I highly recommend this book.

Probably the Best Book About Heraldry

The ecxiting, very colorfull, nice book about heraldry. No questions: if you want to buy one book about heraldry, buy this!