Thank you Netgalley. This was an awesome collection of stories and photos about castles around the world. Very informative and beautiful photos.

Amazing pictures with a good bit of history. The perfect book for a beautiful end table. I was amazed at the different castles from locations across the globe!

Whilst an attractive read, I found the journey rather shallow. There was rarely more than one photo per castle and very little unpacking as to stylistically why each looked as it did or functioned as it did. I had hoped for much more.

This book is a veritable treasure trove of breathtaking photographs of castles across the globe. Ranging from the ruins of ancient fortresses in the Near East to lavish European royal residences of the 19th and 20th centuries, a spectacular visual feast awaits the reader. Each historic era is introduced with a bite-sized, broad overview consisting of a few short paragraphs, while more specific information about the individual castles is conveyed through the captions accompanying the images, making the reading experience truly immersive. This is the perfect gift for history and architecture enthusiasts of all ages!

Have you ever dreamed about living in a castle? If the answer is ‘Yes’, this is the book for you. Feast your eyes on the stunning photos of castles all over the world in this beautiful coffee table book. This book has a short history of how and why castles were built, and a potted history of each different era of the castle. It even includes very modern castles. A history of the castle is included in each picture.

I like the English and Scottish castles, but there are also fabulous images of fairy tale European castles. This book would certainly grace any coffee table! I am hoping to buy it and dream about living in a castle!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was so fun to go through as a major history nerd. It certainly sent me down many rabbit holes on the internet of wanting to learn even more but this was great.

A beautiful photography book all about the history and use of castles. It would make a great coffee table book!

This book was such an amazing gem to add to my medieval books collection. I looked forward to turning each page, destining the next photograph. This book could have been three times longer, and I still wouldn’t have been satisfied. Just a gorgeous, educational book!

Sumptuous pictures of castles throughout the world. There is little text beyond the captions, which give information about the buildings. The only improvement I would make is to include an appendix that lists the castles by country. This would help both travelers and those wanting to learn more.

Considering my Princess phase lasted longer than it should have, (and I danced around my house in a crown a few weeks ago), it should come as no surprise to anyone that I was delighted to be given a digital ARC of this book thanks to Amber Books and NetGalley.

This would be a lovely coffee table book for anyone, a nice classroom reference for younger students or just a lovely addition to a personal library, both for your inner royalty and anyone interested in history, architecture, etc.

The book is split up by timeline and showcases castles across the globe so I enjoyed seeing a range of times/historical ages as well as cultures and styles. Understandably, the book is VERY image heavy and has minimal text but I found the blurbs explaining each era to be informative. Many of the stunning, varied images span multiple pages which was less impressive visually in the ebook on my phone but would be great on a larger screen or hard copy. As someone who loves castles but hasn't consumed any media about them this was a great entrance to that and showcased so many beautiful examples. Thank you Amber Books and NetGalley!

My only real complaint about this book is I now have even more tabs open with things to read up about!

This is very much a visual intro to various 'castles' (some castles, some forts or chateaus etc) with a brief explainer for each. Just enough to whet the appetite (though would leave castle-knowledgeable people feeling a little hard done by).

It's very much a coffee table book, one I thought I'd quickly leaf through, but I found myself taking my time over it and am glad I did

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

Although I’m not a history buff, I do love looking at and visiting castles. It probably comes from the fact that I live near some fine examples in the north east of Scotland.
I enjoyed this book, it was filled with spectacular photographs of castles from all over the globe. Part of what I like about these castles is that I find myself totally blown away by the fact that people had built such impressive structures at a time when there were none of the equipment that we have today. And knowing that makes me view these historical buildings with complete awe.
If you like history, or like me, you just like castles, then you will like this book.
I would definitely recommend this book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for gifting me this book. I’m leaving this review of my own volition.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
What a beautiful book with beautiful photos of castles around the world! I loved the description's of all the locations and when they were built. It is amazing to see the different castles around the world and how they were built and the different architecture that is is according to the country/area. It is amazing that they are still standing even if it is just the skeleton of the castle.

This publication is different. Usually, castles are arranged geographically with detailed text. But the emphasis is on photographs here, which I could look at endlessly. The order is chronological (the author has chosen Ancient Times, the Early Medieval Period, the Late Medieval Period, the Early Modern Period, and the Modern Era).

In addition, there is also a visual order. At least, it seemed to me that the castles in the photographs were identical. Obviously, it was not the case.

Only one paragraph-long text accompanies the photos.

The whole world is represented here. I was very interested in Hwaseong Fortress in South Korea.

I had a problem with some of the terminology. The subtitle of the publication is From ancient citadels to modern palaces. However, we can read only Castles in the text.
It can be controversial. Let's see the example of Hluboká. You can read Chateau on the official website instead of the Castle used in this book.

As the castles are not ordered geographically, I would have welcomed this order in the list of castles in this book. Unfortunately, there is no list of castles.

The publication is unusual. It concentrates on photographs; there is a minimum of text. But this is not a bad thing. I could imagine Castles of the World as a perfect birthday or Christmas present.


Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for a free digital review copy. This is my honest review.

This is the second book I've read by Dr. Justice, and it was as enjoyable as the previous one. She defines castles as being fortified outposts designed to protect or dominate a territory. She goes on to make further points regarding them: that they have been constructed since the Bronze Age; that they were not meant to house a large population but rather a small garrison and the ruling noble & his family; that they vary widely in design depending on the availability of building materials & technological sophistication; and that they eventually became objects of prestige, with nobles constructing them as family homes.

All of the castles are interesting to look at in the pictures, but there were quite a few that stood out to me, because they have interesting descriptions:
1. Arg-E Bam (Iran) - largest adobe building in the world
2. Windsor Castle (England) - longest occupied palace in England
3. Alcazar of Seville (Spain) - oldest royal residence still in use in Europe & an outstanding example of Mudejar architecture (mix of Christian and Arabic art)
4. Castille de Bellver (Spain) - one of the few circular castles in Europe
5. Bran Castle (Romania) - known as Dracula's Castle
6. Citadel of Qait Bay (Egypt) - stands on the exact site of the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria
7. Herstmonceaux Castle (England) - one of the oldest brick buildings in England
8. Chateau Chambord (France) - the largest of the Loire Valley chateaux & it's famous for its "double helix" staircase
9. Castle Muromtsevo (Russia) - Russia's only Gothic castle
10. Swallow's Nest Palace (Crimea) - a small Neo-Gothic castle with just three bedrooms

All in all, this book is a wonderful armchair travel trip around the world, as well as a trip through hundreds of years of history. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Find out about Windsor Castle, England, the longest-occupied royal residence in Europe, built originally to impose Norman rule and today a venue for royal weddings; David’s Citadel, a 2,000 year-old tower near the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem; Osaka Castle, Japan, a 17th-century symbol of the Tokugawa shogunate’s power and prestige and today engulfed by the modern city of Osaka; and Hohenzollern Castle, Germany, seat of Prussia’s famous royal house and a monument to 19th-century Romantic tastes. •
Built, rebuilt and expanded many times, castles offer us layers of history – and often mystery, too. With 200 intriguing photographs, Castles of the World is a beautiful examination of past worlds.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice is a medieval historian. She has contributed to The Encyclopedia of Warfare,

I love to read about castles. I collect books about castles all over the world. This was a real treat. I will be buying a hard copy of this for my collection. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves to read the history of these wonderful buildings!

Such a great book full of history offering visuals and descriptions of some of the most amazing castles throughout the world. It was very interesting to see all the numerous castles and the various architectural styles used in different era's and locations. I found it fascinating to see the terrain that various castles are built in and how each one works in with the landscape. The Castles build on rocky mountain cliffs and the one's surrounded by water were especially impressive. Great book that I'd recommend to others who love history and architecture.

A beautifully illustrated book which I'm sure to add to my collection!
Organized by time period and grouped by location, this book has helped me discover castles I hadn't heard of- and which will now feature in my travel plans. Highly recommended even for seasoned castle hunters like myself :)

As fan of castles (as my username suggests) and history this book catched my eye and i knew i had to give it a try. This book contains the history of castles around the world and some beatiful images, it's a must for fans. I would love to have a physical copy of it because it would be the perfect "coffee table book" for a livingroom.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher. Wow! Beautiful pictures. The book is broken up into time periods (starting with ancient times to the present) and has pictures with a little information on each. The buildings range from strongholds, or fortresses, to the castles we are familiar with today from all over the world. Each section gives a little information on why people built the way they did for that era. Very well presented. It is too bad so many are going into ruin.