Filled with a huge amount of stunning photos, this is a beautiful book for anyone interested in castles, history or architecture. I was surprised to learn that there are so many castles outside of Europe, something that I wasn’t aware of. I liked that the content was organised chronologically but would’ve liked more information on the history of each castle. A glossary explaining terms such as ‘curtain wall’ and ‘crenellations’ would’ve also been welcome. I was a little disappointed to find that the worlds most famous fortress, The Tower of London, was missing from the collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amber Books for this ARC.

A stunning book!! Full of spectacular locations and awe inspiring buildings!! This was just a joy to read and imagine myself living in a castle!! And just fascinating to see the variety of styles of castles there are around the world, from ancient times to modern interpretations, and each with their own charm and beauty.

The photography is perfection! It really captures the castles and their surroundings, and the information on each goes in to more details of the history of them including why they were put in certain positions, from those surrounded by moats to those high up on mountains.

If you're looking for a gorgeous coffee table book about historic castles, this is a great option.

Jestice takes readers on a journey from the earliest castles in the middle east and Asia, to modern castles across Europe and even the United States. The photographs are the centerpiece of this book, with enough information provided to orient readers and offer an insight into how and why these structures were build.

Follow along on a beautiful journey through history.

Highly recommend

Only confusing the matters I found when reviewing this last, this is a third iteration of these contents. After the large landscape A4 picture book, I saw a digital copy of the 6x4 photo size edition. And now they've tweaked everything to be portrait format – meaning the buyer has to be even more aware than before. Luckily, the contents remain the very same high standards, as my initial verdict suggests:-

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.

A wonderful book about castles throughout the centuries from all over the world. The photos are stunning, and while there is a short description about each one, it is the photos that make this book so special. It would make a fantastic gift for anyone who loves castles, and is a joy to browse through. Highly recommend.

Wonderful compilation of photographs of some truly magical places. The exquisite architecture and rich history is wondrous! 🏰

This book is 226 pages of stunning castles from all over the world. It's simply amazing that time and man have not destroyed so many of these castles, even some dating back to ancient times. The first castle in the book is the Citadel of Jerusalem, or David's Citadel, the history of which dates back at least 2000 years. More modern castles are still occupied and visited today. Castle lovers may want to use this book to plot out a course through Europe and other locales in the world to visit them. This is a book that you may want on your bookshelf to study it and dream of times past over and over again.

I have been to many castles in the world and some were featured in this book. It was a fun and quick read with many pretty photos and interesting facts.

I liked that it was divided into different time periods, as it made it easier seeing how the castles evolved with time.

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.

This is a great compilation of some of the world's most extravagant, best-known and some of the least-know castles of the world. Whether built to serve as a fortress or simply for aesthetic pleasure, these castles all have an outstanding factor that led to their inclusion in this book. Castles such as Windsor and Neuschwanstein are featured along with castles and fortresses in India, Oman and numerous other places. All these buildings' architectural designs express their cultural and environmental influences. It is a wonderful grouping of places and re-inspired my desire to travel.

In this fascinating 224-page photography book, medieval historian Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice provides an overview of more than 150 castles from around the world. The castles are organized into five time periods, from ancient times to the modern era. Each location typically gets a photograph or two with an informative caption.

I loved being able to compare castles from such a variety of times and places, although I found myself craving more detail about each site. Maps showing where the sites are located would have been a welcome addition. Use this to start your exploration of castles. If a photograph catches your interest, you can research that site more yourself. You could also use this book to inspire future travel plans. Some of these photographs certainly piqued my curiosity, and I would love to be able to visit some of these places in person.

Note that the flexibound book is only 6.5 by 5 inches.

Thanks to Amber Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

As I started reading this book I realized I have read and reviewed it previously (May, 22, 2021). The book was originally published in 2019 and I could not tell if it has been updated or added to as my original ARC was temporary and expired in 60 days. I was happy to look through the photos again and am adding my original review.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has really great pictures of castles throughout time but I felt there could be more descriptive information on the history of the castles.

A really beautiful set of pictures of castles throughout history. Seems to be a huge range of them across the globe so this book instils a desire to visit as many of them as possible. High recommendation from me

Castles are fascinating, and those who disagree just need to take a look at one. I can’t help but admire their historically majestic presence, even if the reasons for their existence — wars and bloodshed and oppression — do not paint humans in any kind of a favorable light. Nevertheless, castles possess that imposing gravitas that can’t help but capture the imagination.

This is a book I’d love to have in a glossy hardcover copy because those photos of castles (well, castles and citadels and manor houses and even some modern vanity projects by people with too much money and free time) are just gorgeous. Organized by time periods (ancient times to 700 CE, 700 - 1200 CE, 1200 - 1500 CE, 1500 - 1750 CE and 1700 CE - present), it shows a wide range of geographical locations, from Europe to Morocco to Tibet to Japan, and - in what I can only assume a sarcastic attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor - even Hearst Castle in California.

It’s a coffee table book though, and you need to go elsewhere to get more information besides name of the castle, location, time period, a brief history and at times an anecdote (hey, I’m still morbidly fascinated by the idea of biological warfare in Middle Ages when Karlštejn Castle during a 1422 siege had corpses and 2000 cartloads of manure were flung over the walls to cause disease among the defenders).

A good collection of quite a number of castles, although I was often wishing to see a few more photos of each specific castle - some are very interesting - rather than mostly one photo of a variety of them. More in detail exploration of fewer places, I suppose, although that’s just my personal preference and by no means the goal of this book.

4 stars. Very enjoyable.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Castles of the world by Phyllis G Justice is a treasure! It is broken up into ages/time periods, rather than locations. I found it fascinating how the region exemplifies the architectural structures and designs. Castles often pique our curiosity and now, this curiosity can be satiated from wherever you are located.
Each of the pictures capture the essence and provide a short historical blurb. I will say, the pictures are stunning!!! Aerial, ground, and internal pictures of the castles, capture impressive designs, inviting you to experience an insiders look.
I enjoyed learning some of the history and modern facets of each castle. I would love to have this book to refer back to time and again.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Enjoyable book with beautiful picture. I would have loved to see some.interiors. also some.unexpected omissions but really Enjoyable.anyway

Evocative castles capture our imagination and whisk us away to different worlds. As a castle fanatic I have visited and enjoyed 250+ and am besotted with their atmosphere, beauty, hidden rooms and secrets, history and oft-strategic locations. Castles of the World offers a breathtaking glimpse into some of the very best from the unknown to the well known in 200 glorious photographs as well as brief descriptions of each. Sections are broken down into time periods starting in Ancient Times to Modern Era. Reasons for construction are mentioned as well. Photographs include ruined castles to those which are fully intact with characteristics of the time period. Some are still surrounded by moats, others built on high peaks or in forests, all glorious.

Several of my personal favourites are in this book such as Castle Stalker in Scotland, Burg Eltz in Germany, Maruševec in Croatia, Stokesay in England, Caernarfon Castle in Wales and Srebrenik Fortress in Bosnia. You will learn about Berat Citadel in Albania, Skopje Fortress in Macedonia, Ribat Castle in Tunisia, Gyantse Dzong in Tibet and Red Fort in India and loads more. Every single one looks fascinating and well worth exploring. What a joy it is to journey through the centuries through majestic structures! I am inspired to visit many castles I did not know existed until now.

Whether you are a traveler or not, this book is spectacular. If you thirst to learn more about castles, don't miss Castles of the World.

My sincere thank you to Amber Books Ltd. and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this phenomenal book.

Castles of the World is a gorgeous book. The book includes so many beautiful pictures and lots of information about each castle. I saw many that I know and love and lots I had never heard of before. The book is organized in an interesting manor too, though I think it could be hard to find a specific castle a reader might be looking for. Overall, a very beautiful and educational book. Perfect for anyone who loves architecture and history.