Flags of the Fifty States is an indispensable historical reference and a fascinating, beautiful pictorial guide to the rich diversity of America's fifty states. It provides a colorful way to learn about how the United States grew and prospered and shaped itself and its banners over the years. With stunning, full-color reproductions of each flag, this book offers a thorough and eminently readable account of how and why each flag was designed, what the various symbols and figures in the flags mean, and how each flag evolved. Throughout are interesting facts and sidebars that answer such questions as why Alaska is represented by the Big Dipper, what significance the diamond has in the flag of Arkansas, which state features the Union Jack on its flag, and what impact the Civil War had on designs of the state flags of the South.