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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Complete Castle Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: English Castles: A Guide by Counties (Hardcover)
Adraian Pettifer is very modest in his introduction to his book. This is a very comprehensive guide to all the castles of England and the author has that rare knack of saying much in few words (would that more writers had!). There is an introductory essay on the history of castles followed by a county by county guide with a detailed description on each castle with notes on access and brief references. The counties are very firmly (and quite rightly) the "traditional" counties of England so don't expect the modern horrors of Humberside and the like to be listed. There is a very full and helpful glossary of terms and an index of sites with their OS reference: GPS owners take note! There are many plans and a short section of black and white photographs. If you are looking for atmospheric arty colour prints of Bodiam castle in the snow then this isn't the book for you! Perhaps some line drawings of the castles would have been a good idea but this is splitting hairs. Adrian Pettifer has recently produced a book on Welsh castles and I eagarly await a volume on Scottish ones. Thoroughly recommended.
4.0 out of 5 stars
English Catles,
By Medieval fan! "Fiona" (Oxfordshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: English Castles: A Guide by Counties (Paperback)
The content of this book is excellent and provides a good description of the castles in England and their historical background, however the few photos included are black and white and quite grainy. I would have liked to see alot more photos and in colour with more diagrams, sadly i am left wondering what some of these places look like and what they would have looked like in their prime. Well written but also a missed opportunity to comprehensively cover this subject.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Highly Accessible Reference,
By Merry Guido - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: English Castles: A Guide by Counties (Hardcover)
This is a very unassuming, but perfectly nice book. Despite tackling a subject that has been done to death, Adrian Pettifer still manages to bring charm and interest to each subject. This is a very reader-friendly book. Descriptions are bite-sized, so the book can be picked up and put down at a moment's notice. Whole counties can be skipped, or it can be devoured cover to cover, depending on your need and interest. Refreshingly unlike many books of this type, it is logically organized--alphabetically by county, and by castle name within each county. Useful ancillary information includes a short history of castle development, a small but legible map of the counties of England, an extremely informative glossary, an abbreviated bibliography, and a site index to aid in finding locations on the Ordnance Survey grid, just in case you decide to visit. County sections begin with a brief overview and end with a short listing of nearby sites that have not been treated in detail. Descriptions of each castle are typically a page or less, but usually include something about the surrounding geography, style of structure, outstanding architectural features, accessibility, and opening hours. The several monochrome photographs are unremarkable, particularly in light of the fact that many other books on the subject are chock full of color photos. However, the hidden treasure in this book is that in over 3 dozen instances, a plan view drawing of the castle and environs is included. Labeled rooms, land forms, and out-buildings provide a much more intimate idea of what life inside was really like than any number of exterior photos could do. Because I have this book mainly for genealogical research, the information I find most helpful and fascinating is historical: when each castle was built and by whom, who lived in it or conquered it, what its current condition is, and what part it played in history. Dates and historical anecdotes are abundant, and the cast of characters reads like a 'Who's Who' of England in the mid- to late-middle ages. The next best thing to living there, this book should definitely be in the library of every Anglophile, researcher, and castle hunter. |
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