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Summary
Summary
Contains pictures of the flags of the world's nations and explains the history and symbolism associated with each flag.
Author Notes
Whitney Smith Jr. was born in Arlington, Massachusetts on February 26, 1940. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Harvard University in 1961 and a doctorate in political science from Boston University in 1964. He taught at Boston University, but left academia in 1970 to study flags full time.
At the age of 18, he decided that the study of flags deserved its own name and created the term vexillology. In 1960, he designed a national flag for newly independent Guyana. In 1961, he created the bimonthly Flag Bulletin with Gerhard Grahl. A year later he founded the Flag Research Center, a consulting firm that answered inquiries from filmmakers, historians, and commercial flag makers. He designed flags for the Saudi Navy and helped design flags for the islands of Bonaire and Aruba.
He wrote several books including The Flag Book of the United States, Flags through the Ages and Across the World, and Flag Lore of All Nations. He wrote more than 250 flag histories for Encyclopedia Britannica. He died from advanced Alzheimer's disease on November 17, 2016 at the age of 76.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-A succinct, yet complete resource. Arranged alphabetically, each country's flag is illustrated, with an accompanying text covering its history, symbolism, and lore, if appropriate. A pronunciation guide, grids showing usage of each flag (civil, military, and state), a world map, and a listing of nations by continent are included. Pages are attractively laid out, with lots of white space and clear, large typeface. With two countries per page, readers can easily locate the material. Flags and any images on them are crisply and cleanly displayed, with colors remaining true. The information incorporates changes in flags through the year 2001. Unfortunately, the world map that follows the text loses quite a bit of Africa and Europe in the gutter. Smith's work compares favorably with Eve Devereux's Flags of the World (Crescent, 1992; o.p.). It is obviously more up-to-date and may be just the ticket for students needing information for reports.-Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. This colorful, user-friendly, quick reference book will be of great value to middle-graders, with even older students finding a detail or two of interest. The brief introduction describes the content--flags from all 189 United Nations members, as well as Taiwan and Vatican City. Following are half-page entries on each flag, including a clear, brightly colored picture and some information on the country the flag represents; when the flag was designed; and modifications it may have had. Back matter includes a basic but striking world map, a glossary, and a list of further readings. --Roger Leslie