This is a grand primer for those who have just begun to be interested in heraldry. It has clear black & white line drawings and concise non-stuffy text descriptions of heraldic elements, with some basic rules for assembling them and describing the results. "An Heraldic Alphabet" is aimed primarily at English modern heraldry. It does not cover every possible charge; it does not cover continental variations in style or rules. It is a great place to start, before jumping into more comprehensive (and more expensive) sources, such as Stephen Friar's "History of Heraldry", Arthur Charles Fox-Davies' "A Complete Guide to Heraldry", or "Heraldry Sources, Symbols and Meaning" by Neubecker, Brook-Little, and Tobler. Those interested in medieval heraldry, and medieval recreationists, will need guidance from other sources, such as the other books here mentioned and from their re-creation group's particular rules.

This has to be one of the rarest of things; a book on heraldry that is useful for beginners and serious students. And rarer still, the author shows occasional flashes of humor!

With hundreds of entries, this dictionary of heraldic terms is a godsend to students. J.P. Brooke-Little covers MANY terms, both familiar and obscure, and includes alternate spellings and obsolete terms that would be encountered in older blazons.

While no book of this sort could be comprehensive, "An Heralic Alphabet" is quite thourough, and a must have for any student of heraldry.

I own an earlier version of this wonderful chart dated in the mid-1980s. It was very beautiful and I would spend quite a bit of time standing in front of it looking at the detailed genealogy and admiring the illustrations of the coat of arms. I had it hanging in my dorm room and it is now a little too ragged for proper display.
Remember, Amazon[.com] has this listed as a paperback, but it is a large wall chart, not a book.