by Johannes Baptiste Rietstap (Author)
This is the most authoritative work on the coats of arms in the world. The descriptions of the arms cover those of more than 100,000 families, alphabetically arranged and accurately described. The work was compiled from hundreds of armorials and it contains an extensive glossary of terms. In addition to a full description of the arms, most entries identify the nationality of the arms bearer, his title, and the date his title was conferred. The basic text was established with the publication of the second edition, corrected and enlarged, of 1884-1887. In 1950 a reprint was published in a limited edition of 250 copies, with a new Preface and new Additions and Corrections. The present reprint is an exact reproduction of this 1950 edition. It is the best edition available and the first to appear in America.