Download or read book Union Jack written by Nick Groom and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2012-05-22 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Known the world over as a symbol of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack is an intricate construction based on the crosses of St, George, St, Andrew and St, Patrick. Nick Groom traces its long and fascinating past, from the development of the Royal Standard and 17th-century clashes over the precise balance of the English and Scottish elements of the first Union Jack to the modern controversies over the flag as a symbol of empire and its exploitation by ultra-rightwing political groups.