In a 1999 survey NAVA members were asked to recommend which books should be included as a foundation for any well-rounded flag library. This bibliography reflects their consensus.
| Number | Title | Author(s) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flags Through the Ages and Across the World | Whitney Smith Ph.D. | 1975 |
| 2 | The World Encyclopedia of Flags | Alfred Znamierowski | 1999 |
| 3 | The Flag Book of the United States | Whitney Smith Ph.D. | 1970 & 1975 |
| 4 | So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag |
Rear Admiral William Rea Furlong & Commodore Byron McCandless; Harold D. Langley (editor)
|
1981 |
| 5 | The Stars and The Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present | Boleslaw Mastai & Marie-Louise D’Otrange Mastai | 1973 |
| 6 | Flags of the World | E.M.C. Barraclough & William G. Crampton Ph.D. (editors) | (various editions from 1965) |
| 7 | Flags of the World: With 1,197 Flags in Full Colors & 300 Additional Illustrations in Black and White | Byron McCandless & Gilbert Grosvenor (National Geographic Magazine) | 1917 |
| 8 | Flags of the Native Peoples of the United States | Donald T. Healy | 1997 |
| 9 | Standards and Colors of the American Revolution | Edward W. Richardson | 1982 |
| 10 | Flags of the Confederacy—An Illustrated History | Devereaux D. Cannon Jr. | 1988 |
| 11 | Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World | Siobhán Ryan (editor) |
1997 |
| 12 | Thirteen-Star Flags: Keys to Identification | Grace Rogers Cooper | 1973 |
| 13 | Flag (Eyewitness Books) | William G. Crampton Ph.D. | 1989 |
| 14 | Various national flag books | William G. Crampton Ph,D, (editor) | various |
| 15 | Das Große Flaggenbuch | Ottfried Neubecker | 1939 & 1992 facsimile |
| 16 | Flags and Arms Across the World | Whitney Smith Ph.D. | 1980 |
| 17 | Flags at Sea | Timothy Wilson | 1986 & 1999 |
| 18 | Guide to the Flags of the World | Mauro Tolocci; Whitney Smith Ph.D. (editor) | 1982 |
| 19 | The History of the United States Flag from the Revolution to the Present, Including a Guide to Its Use and Display |
Milo M.Quaife, Melvin J. Weig, & Roy E. Appleman | 1961 |
| 20 | Flags of American History | David D. Crouthers | 1962 & 1978 |