Terence Wise

Since this book was published in 1975, both the research into medieval equipments, and the style of medieval recreation art have moved forward a very great deal. The temptation to dismiss the book as a mass of stereotypes and ill-judged illustrations is counteracted by the replacement with much better and more specialized publications from this company, and the charm of having the photos taken from that early 19th century effort by Sir Samuel Meyrick. However, this is a limited interest show more indeed. Buy a later and more focussed book from the same publisher. There is a small section on the Hussite Wars, but no specific Hussite plates.. show less

This Osprey title suffers from its broad range. It tries to cover English heraldry through the Middle Ages which allows the author and illustrators to hint at the complexity of the topic. If Osprey manages to publish several volumes about Napoleonic and American Civil War flags, it should also be capable of presenting booklets about the different eras and institutions that displayed heraldic marks.

this is obviously an early Osprey, and has subsequently been replaced by more specialist issues from the publisher. it is regarded as a quick survey and is not up to current standards of research on its chosen topics. the plates are still lively, and the text is clear, if now dubious in several areas.

Sadly, this is a handbook which would have benefited a very great deal by having more coloured illustrations. While It was intended to be a rough guide to the medieval battlefield uses of heraldry, it seems to have lost its way. What we have here is a number of black and white diagrams of personal arms, and some generic examples of blazons, in order to provide some clarity of practice, it fails to do so.