The complex art and science of heraldry is here made simple by a very clear and thorough exposition. The book opens with several chapters on the origins and original uses of heraldry, followed by chapters on the shield and the multitude of design components used on it. Each design element is illustrated with a specific example from the arms of a particular family. The Crusades, the various ways in which arms could be acquired, and armorial bearings external to the shield, such as crests, wreaths, mantles, and supporters are discussed. In addition, the author examines titles of nobility, the origin of surnames, and the marshalling of arms and genealogies. Although there are illustrations of the arms of about 1,800 families, the thrust of the book is on the design and usage, and it is not intended to be a dictionary of coats of arms.

Chapters include: Origin of Heraldic Bearings; Armorial Devices Assumed by the Feudal Leaders; Symbolic Import of the Tints Used in Heraldry; Signification of the Honourable Ordinaries; Partitions of the Shield; Angular and Curved Lines, or Accidents of Arms; The Lesser or Sub-Ordinaries; Lozenges, Escutcheons, and Frets; Stripes and Checkers; Combination of the Ordinaries; Lions and Their Disjointed Parts; Other Wild Beasts of Prey; Animals of the Chase; Domestic and Docile Animals; Birds as Heraldic Insignia; Aquatic Animals; Imaginary or Fabulous Creatures; The Human Frame and Its Members; Trees, Flowers, and Fruit; The Heavenly Bodies; Insignia Derived from Religious Sources; Various Forms of Crosses; Knights Errant; Fraternities of Knights Errant; The Crusades, or Holy Wars; The Crusades Continued; Siege and Storming of Jerusalem; Establishment of the Christians at Jerusalem; Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem; Decline and Fall of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem; Bearings Acquired under Feudal Services, and from the Possession of Certain Domains; Peculiar Devices Arising from Military Duties; Arms Derived from Arts, Manufactures, and Husbandry; Armorial Devices Acquired at Tournaments, Fetes, and Revels; Jousts, Tilts, and Tournaments; Armorial Bearings External of the Shield; Crests, Wreaths, Mantles, and Supporters; Titles of Nobility, and the Heraldic Badges Appertaining Thereto; Knights, Esquires, and Gentlemen; Origin and Import of Surnames; Accidents of Arms, and Marks of Cadency; Marshalling of Arms and Genealogies; Funeral Ceremonies and Escutcheons; Augmentations of Arms; Abatements of Arms; Badges, Monograms, and Signs; and, Modern Perversions of the Heraldic Art.