While this work is mainly devoted to British heraldry–its development and usage, with accounts of the shields, crests, charges, banners, helmets, devices, orders of chivalry, language, and so forth–it contains much material that cannot be found elsewhere, such as important information on heraldry in the U.S., South Africa, and Japan. The entirety of the work is profusely illustrated with inset shields and heraldic devices, including sixteen full-page plates with nearly 200 coats-of-arms!