Mark Antony Lower’s The Curiosities of Heraldry is an entertaining survey of the history, symbolism, and many oddities of heraldry, the medieval system of coats of arms. Lower explores the origins of heraldry in the age of chivalry, the meaning of its charges and devices, the customs of blazon, and the curious and amusing cases that fill its long history. The book combines genuine scholarship with a delight in the strange and picturesque.
Heraldry arose in the Middle Ages as knights sought to identify themselves in war and tournament, and Lower traces its development and the lore that grew around it. His witty and learned account makes a sometimes forbidding subject approachable and fun. Readers interested in heraldry, chivalry, or medieval social history will enjoy it. This free EPUB edition makes available a charming Victorian classic on the curiosities of heraldry and its medieval roots.