3 stars - I liked it

This was a fascinating look at castles around the world. It makes me want to travel overseas even more. With over 200 pages of photographs of castles this book is a must have for anyone interested in castles, history, or traveling.

A very interesting book that reviews the stories behind some amazing castles across the world. I admit prior to reading this book when someone would mention “castle” I immediately thought of Scotland. Now after reading this book I understand that while Scotland has amazing castles and tons of ruins, there are breathtaking castles all over the world.

Also, as a product of Generation X - nowadays when one sees a huge home being built they believe it’s grandeur is a sign of a family status or a boasting of wealth. Historically, as this book points out castles were built as strongholds to protect families within and to defend against would be invaders. Historically the amount of land, dwellings, and ability to provide and secure safety of inhabitants was the sign of a “rich” man and great leader. Castles were a very big part of not only housing prominent families but also a place where others were able to go and seek refuge or security during unstable times. The structure of the castle along with its surrounding curtain walls, gaits, and portcullis all were meant to defend attacks and thwart future attacks due to impenetrable designs.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who is fascinated by castles.

5 stars

Oh my, this was wonderful! A concise and fascinating collection of info, the castles in this book will take your breath away.

The imagery is beautiful, and I like the idea of setting them out according to age, it makes for an interesting timeline. I will be rather sad when my review copy fades away, I will have to grab hold of a hard copy, which is something I'd recommend to anyone looking for a lovely gift or a dip into a world of mystery and marvels.

Thanks to Net Galley, Avon and Dr Phyllis G Jestice for my ARC.

I think this will work as a surprising hit for many people who would never expect to find themselves browsing a book on this subject; for many a reader with specialist knowledge this will still look superbly attractive, and will like as not win them over too. What we have is a potted visual history of castles, for this goes in chronological order from some of the oldest extant remains up to the Victorian era and beyond. We're not told a huge amount about castles as such – any one trip to any one featured here would tell us more about the architectural specifics, the needs of the inhabitants, and so on – but the tiny captions that we get tell us collectively just enough for us to hear their story. And they're often handily on the right-hand page, allowing said expert to look at the image on the left only and play 'guess the chateau' with herself. (This reader was more than chuffed to recognise a certain colour of brick meant Poland.)

Very pleasantly, the contents aren't stuck to the big and most photogenic examples, and cover all corners of the world (a very early entry is in South Korea, while we also touch on Venezuela and Ghana). All invaders and all defenders get a quick mention. There will be some people buying this sight unseen unaware of just how little text there is, and it has to be noted I'm reviewing this because the large coffee-table hardback has now been given this publisher's standard second edition, which is the size of a routine photograph print. But that being out there, this has to get a recommendation.

Partly as, while I've been to several of the sites here – having explored twelve and clapped eyes on five more, in fact – there is a lot that was new to me. There's a great image of a huge Iranian metropolis almost, gigantic processional arcaded corridors en route to the highest of highest, that an earthquake finally put paid to in 2003. There's a citadel where the Lighthouse of Alexandria once stood, which recycled some of the stones of the latter. We have a fort in Oman whose building was done in piecemeal over twelve centuries. And in my ignorance I'd not heard of any of them. That depth is what I thank this publication for, however niche castles would normally be in my reading material. A strong (if not fortified) four stars.

An indulgent compilation of stunning castles around the world to feast your imagination on the history steeped within their walls. From romantic, fairy tale magical castles, to bold majestic citadels and battle worn fortresses, impressive photos sprinkled with the perfect amount of information will transport you from your armchair. An inspiring selection for future visits as well as the quintessential coffee table book!

Dr Phyllis G Jestice has collated a wonderful visual history of castles. The book is divided into five distinctive

ages. We are able to see how a castle meant power and prestige, how it defended and dominated an area.

The beauty and magnificence that we see only add to the enjoyment..

The amazing high-quality photographs in a wide variety

of geographical settings. all around the world, is a true feast for the eyes, I would like to visit each and every

magnificent one.

Beautiful photo book of castles from around the world. I have visited many castles in Europe and was happy to see some of them represented in this book. I hadn't thought about other places like South Korea or Iran as having castles. The book itself is divided by time periods. Each castle has one or more photos and a brief description of the castle and its country. I'd forgotten that Windsor Castle in England, which doesn't seem all that old, actually dates to the 11th century.

This book, while not a tour guide, definitely added some castles to my travel bucket list. I only wish is that some of the photos were of a high resolution. (Modern photography is spoiling me.) This would be a great book on your coffee table or a gift for the traveler or historian in your life. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for a temporary ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful volume, whether the reader is a castle enthusiast or history buff. The photographs are gorgeous and the author provides just enough historical background to interest the reader, without becoming a weighty narrative.

From the introduction on the reasons behind castles (economy, defense, prestige) to choosing sites, construction and a plethora of sublime photographs, this book is laden with wonder. I am a castle fiend and have been to well over 150 of them, including nearly half in this book so when a castle book appears on the scene, I am giddy with excitement! The author describes castles from 700 BC to modern times, some of which are well known and easily recognizable, others unheard of.

This book is chock full of inspiration including Samuil's Fortress in Macedonia with its high walls, Al-Ukhaidir Fortress in Iraq with its defensive architecture, Hochosterwitz in Autria with its many gates and craggy outlook, Pembroke Castle in Wales built by Norman invaders, Citadel of Aleppo in Syria which looks impregnable, romantic Leeds Castle in England, Burg Eltz in Germany with its stunning location (one of my favourites), Stokesay Castle in England with its unusual and glorious wood-beamed ceiling (another favourite), Qasr Kharana in Jordan which has no known practical reason for being built, the quintessential Scottish castles of Eilean Donan and Stalker (especially evocative when lone pipers are playing), Karlstejn Castle in the Czech Republic and its grisly history, Sea Castle in Lebanon with canon balls embedded in it, Oxburgh Hall in England which is surrounded by a pretty moat, ruined atmospheric Kilchurn Castle in Scotland (the second castle I ever visited), unique Maruševec Castle in Croatia, uniquely-decorated Red Fort in India and Lichtenstein Castle in Germany (amongst the prettiest locations in my view). And this is just a sample, believe it or not. Not only that but there are thousands of castles all over to visit and salivate over which aren't mentioned here.

If you are a castle lover or wish to learn more about them, please grab this spectacular book. Even seasoned castle fans will find new-to-you information. It captured me from the cover to the very end. It would be lovely to see more like this! This is my idea of a dream come true book.

My sincere thank you to Amber Books Ltd. and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this resoundingly perfect book.

This is quite interesting and it allows you to see castles from all over the world and from different eras etc, my only complaint is quite a few of the photos are of low quality, as though they were taken a long time ago or on a mobile phone etc, so they're a bit hazy or dark

Beautiful book! It was fun seeing all the different types of castles and how they stood up to time. Living in the US, we don't have old castles so it is nice seeing castles from all over the world. This would be a fabulous coffee table book.

A fascinating book, richly illustrated that made me discover new castles and travel around the world.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love castles. I have been to many of them, but somehow only nine that made the cut for this book. I was honestly surprised to find that a few of the castles featured are in cities I have been to but somehow missed the castle. This book provides a brief overview of castles in ancient times, early medieval period, late medieval period, early modern period, and modern era. The overview is then followed by picture after picture of castles from that time period. Each castle as a brief description including its name, location, and historical significance. This book added a whole bunch of places to my bucket list and would be a wonderful gift for any world traveler.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.