The Observer's book of Heraldry by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin

Fox-Davies was a heraldic writer who, without any official sanction, tended to state as fact that which he would have liked to be so and to turn practices of which he approved into rules, when no such rules actually existed.

Still an impressive book, but made by Fox-Davies, so just like A Complete Guide to Heraldry, not always correct.

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 Ströhl.

The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopaedia of Armory. While the section on fabulous creatures is the most entertaining, Dennys also provides a wealth of information on the duties of medieval heralds and extensive discussion on early heraldic literature.A book that deals with heraldic monsters, nicely illustrated with color and black and white pictures.A nice quick reference work with pictures.Boutell was originally published in 1863 any of the revised editions by John Brooke-Little from 1970 onward are reasonably current.(Joseph McMillan) Watch out for the English orientation in discussions of law, right to arms, and related matters, but in my view unsurpassed in discussing how arms are composed, etc. If I were allowed two heraldry books, one would be Boutell's Heraldry.A nice book with many pictures from the archives of the College of Arms also a section on international heraldry.Peter Gwynn-Jones is now Garter King of Arms. 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.Bedingfeld, Henry Paston, and Peter Gwynn-Jones.In addition to discussing heraldic usages that are common to most traditions, many of these also include material-particularly on matters of heraldic rules and laws-that is specific to England, something the authors do not always make clear. Readers should be aware that most heraldry books written in English are aimed primarily at English users. The following books were selected because they provide good comprehensive discussions of heraldry in general. By using the buttons below when purchasing books or other items at, the AHS earns a 4% to 10% referral fee on items offered by Amazon or by third parties during your shopping session.

The Observer's book of Heraldry by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin