How To Read Castles: A Crash Course in Understanding Fortifications

by Malcolm Hislop

How to Read Castles is a travel-sized primer that takes a strictly visual approach to castle architecture, building up the reader's vocabulary of castle types, styles, and materials, and showing how these aspects can be recognized across architectural features from the floor-plan and moat, to the towers and crenulations. Focusing on the period from the 10th to the 16th century, and crusading across the globe from a Welsh motte-and-bailey to a Japanese hirajiro, this is both architectural reference and visitor guide-showing the reader how to read the stories embedded in every castle's stones. Castles once dominated the landscape as seats of power and symbols of wealth and status, providing a means of control over borders, passes, routes and rivers. Armed with this book you will be able to unpick their histories and see how they shaped the land around them. From rugged coastline defences to soaring mountain fortresses, this book takes the reader on an international journey of discovery, exploring some of the most inspiring and impressive architecture history has ever seen.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Architecture, Art

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Leon McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

How To Read Castles

A good book to pair with this reading might be - How to Read Churches: A Crash Course in Ecclesiastical Architecture, Denis R. McNamara


As the full title of the book reveals, this concise book provides a crash course in castle architecture typically ranging from the 11th Century to the 14th Century. The architectural elements of castles constantly went through processes of change as consequence of slights and sieges in warfare: castle masons and architects had to build defences and fortifications able to withstand or prevent the great forces imposed on from the contemporary war machines such as the terrifying trebuchet or mangonel, the battering ram, or the intimidating belfry.

It is a light-read backed by many pictures to ensure the reader understands the specific architectural detail, ornament, area, or defensive element explained. As castles developed, geometrical designs became more sophisticated and complex: cylindrical towers and keeps were found to deflect missiles and prevent mining attacks more effectively than rectangular ones. It was also seen that styles developed from a purely functional mood, to a functional-ornamental hybrid, to a purely ornamental mood throughout the centuries. From appreciating the spatial demands of enclosures; baileys; courtyards, and; halls, to comprehending the defensive capabilities of bartizans, turrets, and towers; batters and talus; parapet battlements with machicolations, anyone remotely interested in medieval castles will enjoy the simplicity of this book and siphon from it the knowledge to confidently identify certain components within castle grounds and ruins.

[Gizmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro más para tener de referencia pero del que se puede aprender mucho si uno entra sin saber (poco o) nada de la arquitectura defensiva del medioevo. Si bien se plantea un recorrido temático de lo general a lo particular este se mecha con uno que termina siendo histórico y resulta quizás más interesante para comparar y ver la evolución de los métodos de defensa para hacer frente a los ofensivos. Las ilustraciones están bien pero deja algo que desear en lo que son esquemas generales para mejor comprensión y uno termina recurriendo mucho a internet para poder entender mejor los conceptos observando los castillos propiamente dichos.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very concise introduction into castle history including their design, architecture and their uses throughout the ages. It goes into just the right amount of detail in my opinion. I liked how it gives you examples of specific castles in which you can find certain features (e.g., I could find a latrine tower in Langley Castle if I wanted to).

The reader is free to research further into a particular area if they want to (after all this is an introduction and not a comprehensive review).
Overall, it's just what I was looking for.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

He aprendido mucho, claro que también partía de un desconocimiento total sobre la arquitectura de castillos. Me han faltado mejores ilustraciones y definiciones sobre algunos elementos básicos y he tenido que mirar constantemente en internet cómo se ven en la realidad los castillos que se mencionan. Leeré más libros de la colección.

[Marieke L · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely interesting content, but I feel like I could've learned a lot more. the text is quite dry, and especially in the first half many examples of castles were given, but with only two to four sentences of information (generally including when and where it was built, occasionally by who, or just a list of features, so not very engaging). I wanted to know a lot more about the whys and hows.

also, the blurb makes it seem like it features a wide variety of castles, but the majority were English and French. there were two pages dedicated to Japanese castles but they did not get a single mention anywhere else. and this is all certainly fine but the correct expectations should be set.

[Mr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible, hard to read font for the body copy (way too slim), chapter titles on each 'Introduction' page were ridiculously faint and I only realized they were there halfway through and the lack of explaining crucial terminology in situ was exasperating. The book is meant to be a primer on reading castles and, whilst I don't expect each term to be clarified each time it appears, relegating the definitions (of not even all the words) to a glossary at the back ruins the experience.

It seemed to lack structure throughout too, no rhyme or reason to the order in which information is presented. It opens by talking about the flavour of castles in different areas of the world before it has laid out the principles of castles or the foundations through which to understand them. Why is this talk of different approaches to castles at the start? And the end of the book is just beguiling, where one moment the page spread is talking about 'Straight Stairs' and then it's suddenly just into the glossary.

In short: there's a gross lack of structure and editing throughout the book. If I didn't know better, I'd say it felt like something compiled by an AI program that's only cognizant of the previous two pages and the next two.

[Tzurky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, nifty little book that explains all the essential elements of a castle in their most important variations over the span of the medieval period. In doing this, it also manages to provide an in-depth look at how castles were built and used and why their look changed over time. Very much recommended if you’re going to visit medieval castles, although the focus lies primarily on English and Welsh castles, with some French and German ines thrown in for good measure. However, the descriptions are universally applicable.

[Anwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves both architecture and history, this book is a joy to have. If you're looking for in depth knowledge it's probably not for you, but it's a brilliant starting point with easily digestible information. I keep it on my desk and I love to dip into it. I can flick through the beautiful illustrations even if I don't feel like reading.

[izad]

REF: Los señores del tiempo

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting explanation of the elements that make up a castle and how they have changed over the years.

[Sandy Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really useful beginners guide.

[Avie Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, but not written in a very learnable way

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating and interesting read about how castles work and the many features they have. This book has left me eager to explore and discover the many different castles that exist in the UK.

[Javy De Amo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soy un apasionado de los castillos y voy a llevar conmigo este libro a cada visita para poder interpretar cada aspecto de los castillos :)

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not the best book on castles I have, but it's not the worst either. All text is short and "bite-sized" which tends to lack depth and detailing. The pictures are mostly quite small (also due to the size of the book itself). On the the plus side, the book will tell you a lot about castles, their components and build.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of fun!

[Kirill Protasenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ładna forma z ilustracjami. Spójne wyjaśnienie terminologii. Każdy temat jest prezentowany w formie klasyfikacji strukturalnej lub chronologicznej. I same ciekawe fakty na temat zamków.