Books About Flags
There are many books about flags available. Here are a few that I have used myself and feel able to recommend. This section is presented in association with Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and buttons are provided to take you to the appropriate pages on their site, but the ISBN number will also allow you to order them through your local bookseller.
 | British Flags & Emblems Hardcover, 128 pages, 1st Edition (March 2004)
OK, I admit it - I wrote this book, but if you want a comprehensive work on the flags and emblems of the United Kingdom and its dependencies then this is the book for you! |
 | The World Encyclopedia of Flags Hardcover, 256 pages (March 2006)
If you are interested in finding out about flags then this is probably the best book you can buy today. It covers the history of flags, the different sorts of flags, and their meanings. The second part of the book covers the flags of each country in the world. The book has over 1,400 colour illustrations. |
 | Flags Through the Ages Hardcover, 128 pages, 1st Edition (September 2000)
Alfred Znamierowski has split his larger work (see above) into two volumes. The first covers the history of flags, and the various sorts of flags, such as military flags, heads of state standards, etc. |
 | Flags of the World Hardcover, 128 pages, 1st Edition (October 2000)
The second of Alfred Znamierowski's new volumes covers the national flags of all the world's countries, and the sub-national flags of many of them. |
 | Identifying Flags Hardcover, 80 pages (1998) This is a guide to the current national flags of the world. Each entry has a good illustration of the flag, its history, and basic country statistics such as capital city, population, etc. The book includes maps to show where each country is. |
 | Eyewitness Handbooks: Flags Paperback, 240 pages, 1st American edition (June 1999)
This book has information and good illustrations of over 300 flags, including all the US states and Canadian provinces. It includes explanations of the history and symbolism of each flag, such as why there is an eagle and serpent on Mexico's flags. |
 | Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World Hardcover, 240 pages (November 1997)
This is a marvellous little book, containing the national flags of each country, often the state arms, and the provincial flags of selected countries. |
 | Flags at Sea Paperback, 140 pages (January 2000)
This is a revised edition of a popular history, first published in 1986, of the flags flown at sea during the Age of Sail. Beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred thirty photographs, seventy-four in colour, it features the flags flown by the principal naval powers: Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. The clear narrative unravels myths and misunderstandings about where, when, and why certain flags, like the piratical "Jolly Roger", were flown. It also tackles such complicated issues as signaling in peace and war. Contemporary flag charts and specially commissioned drawings provide the degree of detail necessary for modelmakers, artists, and historians. The remarkable amount of information presented on the all-important functions of identification and signaling at sea makes an important contribution to the literature. |
 | The Flags of the Confederacy Paperback, 128 pages (October 1994)
"The last word on the flags of the lost cause." |
 | The Flags of the Union Paperback, 96 pages (May 1994)
For Civil War historians or flag enthusiasts, this book is a helpful guide to the history and development of flags in the United States, leading up to and during the Civil War. A companion work to The Flags of the Confederacy: An Illustrated History, this book features banners from the different armed forces and their divisions from fleets to cavalry units to infantry corps. |
Flag Drawings © Graham Bartram, portions © The Flag Institute & Mario Fabretto