Heraldic Bibliography

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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20 August 2006 00:29
 

Following up the thread on "Home Library," I’ve uploaded to http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/heraldbib.html a draft heraldic bibliography that I put together with the aim of putting it on the public area of the AHS site.

We need comments on the various books; also recommended additions and deletions.  I’ll try to search the various areas of the forum (including the archives), but even if you’ve commented on one or more of these books before, please repeat what you said.  Short and sweet, please…I’m looking for blurbs, not review essays!  However, "I really like…" with nothing more is not a useful blurb.

 

Thanks to Rob Hardin for sending me the guts of this, and to the RHSC for unknowingly providing Rob’s starting point.

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
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20 August 2006 01:11
 

Here’s three for ya Joe…

Irish Heraldry:

 

“The Poolbeg Book of Irish Heraldry,” by Micheál Ó Comáin – Nice basic introduction to heraldic traditions and practices in Ireland. Illustrations are poor, but text is good.

 

“Irish Families; their names, arms and origins, 4th ed.” by Dr. Edward MacLysaght, MA, D Litt, MRIA – More of a study in Irish nomenclature, however the arms section shows the common charges for families from the same tribal affiliation or geographical location.

 

Scottish Heraldry:

 

“Scottish Heraldry: an invitation,” by M.D. Dennis, BA, LL B Cantab, J Dr, FSA Scot, Advocate – A very nicely illustrated basic book on Scottish heraldry… and absolute must of an introduction for Scottish Heraldry with absoultely excellent illustrations.

 
Arthur Radburn
 
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Arthur Radburn
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20 August 2006 09:19
 

Comments on books already on the list:

Friar, Stephen, A Dictionary of Heraldry

- An excellent, easy to use, and beautifully illustrated A-Z reference source.  It’s English-oriented, but includes entries on armorial practices in several other countries, including the USA.  Definitely one of my favourite heraldry books.

 

Paston-Bedingfield and Gwynn-Jones, Heraldry

- An informative, beautifully presented, exploration of heraldry in England from the Middle Ages to the early 1990s, with illustrations from the College of Arms records and collections.  Peter Gwynn-Jones is now Garter King of Arms.

 

Von Volborth, Carl Alexander.  Heraldry of the World.

- A country-by-country guide to heraldry in Europe, the Americas, South Africa, and the Churches.  906 illustrations, and detailed text (edited by D.H.B. Chesshyre of the College of Arms) about current and historical practices in those countries.

 

Woodcock and Robinson.  The Oxford Guide to Heraldry

- An informative exploration by two of the English officers of arms, of heraldry in England and Europe, with a chapter on pre-revolutionary America, all illustrated from College of Arms records and collections.

 

 

Some other books to consider:

 

General Texts

 

Neubecker, Ottfried.  Wie finde ich ein Familienwappen? Berlin: Falken-Verlag, 1956

- An introduction to German and Austrian heraldry, with 91 b/w and 36 colour illustrations.

 

Pine, L.G.  The Story of Heraldry London: Country Life Ltd, 1952

- A highly readable (though now dated) account, by an editor of Burke’s Peerage, of the development of heraldry in England, with additional chapters on Ireland, Scotland, the British Commonwealth, and the USA.

 

Slater, Stephen.  The History and Meaning of Heraldry  London: Southwater, 2004

- A shortened version of Slater’s Complete Book of Heraldry.  A good introduction to the subject, with splendid illustrations and examples on every page, drawn from a number of countries.

 
emrys
 
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emrys
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20 August 2006 14:09
 

my contribution smile

* Brooke-Little, John. An Heraldic Alphabet. Rev. ed. London: Robson Books, 1996.

a nice quick reference work with pictures.

* Dennys, Rodney. The Heraldic Imagination. London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1975.

a book that deals with heraldic monsters nicely illustrated with colour and b&w pictures

* Franklyn, Julian. Shield and Crest. London, 1960.

a standard heraldry book comparable to Boutells, but with many illustrations and several indices on blason and surnames of the illustrations.

* Friar, Stephen, and John Ferguson. Basic Heraldry. New York: W. W. Norton, 1993.

a standard book on heraldry illustrated by Ferguson especially the colour pictures are very nice and include shields of the knights attending Agincourt as well as some contemparary arms.

* Neubecker, Ottfried. Heraldry: Sources Symbols and Meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976.

This book looks at heraldry in an international perspective, many illustrations of arms as well as related heraldic subjects.

* Paston-Bedingfeld, Henry, and Peter Gwynn-Jones. Heraldry. London, Bison Books Ltd., 1993.

A nice book with many pictures from the archives of the College of Arms also a section on international heraldry.

* Pastoureau, Michel. Heraldry: an Introduction to a Noble Tradition. New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1997.

a little beginners book but very informative with nice illustrations.

* Volborth, Carl-Alexander von. Heraldry of the World. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1973.

A very good little book with many illustrations it describes heraldry from a global perspective in a per country/ regional approach.

* Woodcock, Thomas, and John Martin Robinson. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

A good solid book on heraldry and some nice pictures.

 

Heraldic Art and Design

 

* Gwynn-Jones, Peter. The Art of Heraldry: Origins, Symbols, Designs. London, Parkgate Books, 1998.

A beautiful book which deals with the art of Heraldry in 4 parts 1 on the history of heraldry, 2 the fauna and flora, 3 heraldic monsters and 4 on the changing style and choices of devices. very well illustrated with many pictures directly from the grants of arms.

* Volborth, Carl-Alexander von. The Art of Heraldry. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1984.

Great book many illustrations and in part 3 a display of work from a lot of heraldic artists which is very interesting because of the different styles used from the different heraldic traditions.

* Williamson, David. Debrett’s Guide to Heraldry and Regalia. London: Headline Book Publishing, 1992.

A book that focusus on the British view of heraldry most of the book is devoted to this, there are chapters on continental heraldry and on regalia from around the world. overall not bad but there could have been more on other regalia especially pictures.

 

American Heraldry

 

 

* Vermont, E. de V. America Heraldica. 1886-89; rpt. New York: Heraldic Publishing Co, 1965.

basicly a book with a lot of blasons and pictures a nice armorial.

 

 

Special Topics

 

* Heim, Bruno Bernard. Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origins, Customs and Laws. Gerrards Cross, 1978.

a very good book on church heraldry with many beautiful illustrations by Heim.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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21 August 2006 20:46
 

Thanks to those who have contributed so far.  Does anyone have comments to offer on these?

Fox-Davies, A. C. The Art of Heraldry. London: Bloomsbury Books, 1986. (First published 1904, publisher unknown.)

Woodward, John, and George A. Burnett. A Treatise on Heraldry British and Foreign with English and French Glossaries.

Originally published 1891. Reprinted 1969, with new introduction by L.G. Pine, Rutland (Vermont): Charles E Tuttle Co., and Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints, 1969.

Parker, James. A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. Oxford & London: James Parker and Co., 1894. Reprinted: Rutland (Vermont): James Tuttle and Co., 1970.

 

(I’m familiar with all three and believe they should be on the bibliography, but don’t want to dominate the commentary.)

 

Another point:  I think we should drop from the list those books that are not reasonably available, either for sale or in libraries.  I did a FirstSearch search today and found that a few of the books (Leonhard, O Comain, Dennis, maybe a couple of others) can be found in fewer than 100 libraries worldwide, which means that suggesting them on a book list will just lead to frustration.  The exception might be the Dennis book, which can be bought from the HSS.  Does that sound reasonable to everyone?

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
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22 August 2006 02:30
 

Sounds reasonable Joe. I will say I got my copy from a book dealer in the fair city of Dublin courtesy of a cousin there. SO, in Ireland it is probably more available, but it is probably harder here… sigh…good book, but with poor illustrations.

The HSS is where I seen the Dennis book and why I picked it up at the Thistle & Shamrock store here in Denver. I think that one should probably stay as it is easier to see and a great entry into Scottish arms, which I’m beginning to love much more than I did before.

 

edited for spelling errors - you can tell i’m tired with finals!!!

 
emrys
 
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emrys
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22 August 2006 03:36
 

Fox-Davies, A. C. The Art of Heraldry. London: Bloomsbury Books, 1986. (First published 1904, publisher unknown.)

This is a very large volume with a lot of pictures in all kinds of different heraldic styles, it was based on a German book by Hugo Ströll (if I remember correctly). Still an impressive book but made by Fox-Davies so just like a complete guide to heraldry not always correct.

 
Patrick Williams
 
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Patrick Williams
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22 August 2006 08:29
 

I agree that dropping hard-to-find books is the best policy.

 
Michael F. McCartney
 
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Michael F. McCartney
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22 August 2006 11:33
 

Rather than dropping the rare ones entirely, why not list them separately under a special heading?  That would avoid the frustration of searching for a book that you assume is available but would be very hard to find.

Even the rare ones can often be located via interlibrary loan.  One member of our West Coast group of heraldry groupies, is a library science student & has great access, though it can be slow.  Also, if a member happens to be in DC, the Library of Congress has an immense collection,

 

While most of us will be able to access the rare books only on rare occasions, its helpful to know what to look for in the LoC.

 
Madalch
 
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Madalch
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22 August 2006 14:42
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Thanks to those who have contributed so far.  Does anyone have comments to offer on these?

Woodward, John, and George A. Burnett. A Treatise on Heraldry British and Foreign with English and French Glossaries.

Originally published 1891. Reprinted 1969, with new introduction by L.G. Pine, Rutland (Vermont): Charles E Tuttle Co., and Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints, 1969.


An excellent reference work for the serious heraldist which details the tinctures, charges, and their appearances in heraldry.


Quote:

Another point:  I think we should drop from the list those books that are not reasonably available, either for sale or in libraries.  I did a FirstSearch search today and found that a few of the books (Leonhard, O Comain, Dennis, maybe a couple of others) can be found in fewer than 100 libraries worldwide, which means that suggesting them on a book list will just lead to frustration.


Maybe list them as "Rarer Books"?  (ABE has a couple of copies of Leonhard, so it’s not impossible to get.)  But please get rid of the "groat quote" for that book- it looks ridiculous.

 

How about:

A highly pictorial work, giving numerous examples of the various heraldic charges in a wide range of styles and types.  This is extremely useful, even for those who cannot read German.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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22 August 2006 15:46
 

I thought "worth a groat" added color and erudition (who knows the most famous literary reference to "a groat’s worth"?), but consider it done.

 
Hugh Brady
 
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Hugh Brady
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22 August 2006 21:28
 

Is it from Poor Richard’s Almanack?

 
Kelisli
 
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Kelisli
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28 August 2006 11:09
 

Here are my two cents for books on Islamic Heraldry:

Heraldic Symbols: Islamic Insignia and Western Heraldry

authors:

Sally Purcell

William Leaf

ISBN/ASIN: 0905209923

Victoria & Albert Museum; July, 1986

Hardcover This one you can still find on e-bay for a reasonable price.  Overall, I found it to be a good basic book, but the author barely discusses Islamic Heraldry.  He covers more western heraldry than he does Islamic, but given the scarcity of books on the topic, it is a good book for your library…if the topic interests you of course.

 

Saracenic Heraldry

Sandpiper Editions

By: L A Mayer

Oxford University Press 1999

302 pages

Hardback Illustrated 019817120X

Now this is a good reference and it has been republished.  I can’t remember when it was first published, but I think in the 20’s or 30’s.  The author covers the meaning of the symbols, but makes a couple of mistakes.  One charge that lead to some debate was the charge/charges he calls "trousers of nobility," which some call "trumpets."

 

Osmanli Armasý - By: Kemal Özdemir. DÖNENCE YAYINLARI, 1997 Istanbul ISBN 975-7054-01-1

Very well illustrated book, but expensive (around $100) and in Turkish.  It covers the history of the origin and meaning of the Jannisary emblems (badges of the different units) and the history of the Ottoman State coat of arms.

 

The Crusades: Islamic Pespectives

by Carole Hillenbrand

Pub Routledge, New York 1999, 2000

ISBN 0-415-92914-8

This books is not about heraldry, but has a section that discusses the different charges used in Ayyoubid and Mameluke heraldry.

 

Artin (Pacha), H.E. Yacoub, Contribution a l’Etude du Blason en Orient, Le Caire, Imprimerie Nationale & London, B. Quaricht, 1902

This book is a classic.  However very rare to come across.  If you find a copy, it will be extremely expensive.  It is in French and discusses the history of all charges used Ayyoubid, Mameluke and modern Middle Eastern heraldry.  The author was a famous Armenian Egyptian civil servant who was elevated to high rank and title.  He served several Egyptian rulers and is considered an authority on the topic of Middle Eastern heraldry.  He does make a couple of glaring mistakes though!  He calls the famous ink well charge (granted and assumed by "people of the pen" a "hieroglyph." and he makes another one in the color of the charges of the Khedivial State coat of arms of the Khedivat of Egypt.  The decrescent and three five pointed stars are "Or" according to the author, when every where else, they are Argent.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps those who are interested in the topic.

 

Cheers,

Hassan

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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30 August 2006 11:47
 

Hassan, thanks for these.  Unfortunately, only the Mayer book meets my cutoff for ready availability to the general American reader (see below) and so I’ve added it to the list.

For all:  This is your last chance to review the bibliography and provide and final additions, deletions, or comments before I send it to our webmaster to load to the AHS site.  Before I do that, is anyone familiar with the kids’ book Harold the Herald?  Should it be included in the bibliography?

 

The current version is attached as a .txt document; ignore the HTML code.

 

By the way, I’m changing the title of this from "heraldic bibliography" to "Basic Heraldic Bookshelf."  I mulled over the idea of including a category of harder to find books, and realized that once we went down that road we’d have to include every classic from Nisbet and Guillim to Bado Aureo and Sassoferrato.  So, with the exception of some of the US-specific items, I have limited the list to books that are either available for sale new or are in the collections of at least 100 libraries in the United States, according to FirstSearch.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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30 August 2006 17:53
 

Now more easily reviewable as a plain-vanilla web page at http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/heraldbib.html.

 
Rob McLaughlin
 
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Rob McLaughlin
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30 August 2006 20:41
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Now more easily reviewable as a plain-vanilla web page at http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/heraldbib.html.


Greetings Everyone,

 

I have been following these forums for a month or so and only recently registered.  I have been in communication during that time with Geoff Kingman-Sugars who is creating a CoA for me to assume.  I plan to join this organization and register the arms when they are complete.

 

Thank you all for your efforts in general and especially in creating the bibliography.  From my perspective as a newbie such a resource is very helpful.

 

My challenge however (as I imagine others new learners might experience) is how to qualify the list.  How would I determine with say a total budget of $200 which books would be best to purchase first within each category…perhaps even differentiated for the new, intermediate and advanced for learner.

 

As to source and availability, my first inclination would be Amazon, eBay and a used book site such as alibis.com.

 

My apology for asking for more (prioritizing the list…a frustrating subjective exercise!?) when you have already given so much however my intent is to make a contribution to the community by sharing the perspective of a new learner.

 

Best regards to all,

 

Rob

 

P.S.

I lived near Cincinnati so I am watching the pigasus discussion with interests

and

I am not sure how many postings I will be able to make (content I can contribute) so I am not going to miss the opportunity to use an emoticon. wink