¿A massive and minutely researched history of European Heraldry ranging from orders of nobility dating from early times, to those created in the 19th century by Napoleon and others. The book is illustrated throughout with full colour portraits of the coats of arms and crests of the families described and discussed. The authors display enormous knowledge and authority on their subject, describing the meaning and origin of the animal, plants and symbols used in heraldic devices, the origins or the symbols used. For serious students of medieval arms and armaments, this long out of print two-volume work (now bound into one mammoth volume) is indispensable.