The Queens Orders Of Chivalry

The Queen’s Orders of Chivalry (1964) by Ivan De La Bere – Spring Books – ISBN: None – Condition: Good

There are honours, and then there are Honours.

Ivan De La Bere’s The Queen’s Orders of Chivalry, published by Spring Books in 1964, is a suitably dignified journey through the elaborate world of British orders, decorations, insignia and ceremonial distinction — the system by which centuries of monarchy, military service, public duty and national tradition have been transformed into stars, crosses, ribbons, collars and splendidly complicated things to wear around one’s neck.

It covers the great chivalric orders associated with the British Crown, explaining their origins, traditions, structure and significance. These are institutions with names such as the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of the Bath and other wonderfully grand creations that make an ordinary workplace “Employee of the Month” certificate seem rather underdeveloped.

The history behind these orders stretches back centuries, often involving kings, queens, warfare, loyalty, court politics, heraldry and the recurring royal conviction that important people should be identified by wearing something extremely ornate.

And ornate they certainly are.

The insignia associated with the various orders can involve richly enamelled badges, stars, chains, ribbons and symbolic devices, all designed in an age when nobody believed official recognition should consist of a small plastic trophy ordered online.

De La Bere provides the historical background to these institutions and places them within the wider story of the British monarchy and state. It is therefore a useful book not only for those interested in medals and decorations, but also for readers of royal history, military history, heraldry and ceremonial tradition.

Published in 1964, this edition also captures the subject during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, at a time when the rituals of monarchy remained highly visible and the old structures of the honours system still carried much of their traditional formality.

The book has the pleasing seriousness of mid-century publishing, when a volume about orders of chivalry could be produced without anybody feeling the need to turn it into a celebrity countdown or add “You Won’t Believe Number Seven” to the cover.

This copy is in Good condition, making it a respectable example for reading, collecting or keeping somewhere prominent in case you ever need to identify exactly what somebody in a portrait is wearing.

There is no ISBN, which is entirely reasonable for a book from 1964. It comes from that civilised transitional period when books could still enter the world without immediately being assigned a barcode and interrogated by a database.

Ideal for collectors of royal memorabilia, students of British ceremonial history, enthusiasts of medals and decorations, heraldry fans, or anyone who has ever wondered why one person at a state occasion appears to be wearing enough metalwork to require structural reinforcement.

Another dignified survivor from Crappy Old Books — packed with tradition, ceremony, heraldry and proof that if Britain has historically done one thing extremely well, it is inventing increasingly elaborate ways of saying, “Well done.”

Keep browsing: See more History books Other books by Ivan De La Bere