The most lavish of these was "", which was originally conceived as an English translation of a German publication (Ströhl's "Heraldischer Atlas") but which was transformed, in Fox-Davies's hands, into a largely original work specifically directed to the history, theory and practice of English heraldry, with illustrations in black and white and in colour throughout. This large 500-page book was first published in 1904 and was re-issued in black and white only in 1976 by an American publisher and in 1986 in colour by a London publisher. Much of the material in this book was re-used in a shorter, cheaper and more popular exposition of contemporary English heraldic practice, "A Complete Guide to Heraldry", which proved very successful and influential. This too has been reprinted several times. Another even shorter guide was "Heraldry Explained", but even this balanced a clear and didactic text with plentiful illustration.