Hey everyone, does any one have recommendations on the best, and perhaps most serious or most scholarly, book on castles?
I’m a little frustrated because it seems like the only books out there are for kids lol — and maybe that means this is just an unserious topic but I don’t necessarily think so.
Possibly, it might be dealt with somewhat indirectly/obliquely as part of work on some other subject (whether medieval history, war, architecture, and so on) — whatever you’ve come across that you think fits, I would love to hear about it!
I would think it would be kind of odd if there weren’t some full-length study on this stuff!
(Again I’m more looking for “substance” than for just another picture book but I definitely don’t mind the inclusion of photography too.)
by boxerpuncher2023
3 Comments
UK historian Marc Morris has one. If memory serves it is a companion for a TV series.
Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies looks good.
Per the other comment, I’ve read Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain and it’s amazing.
As a fellow castle enthusiast, I’ve got you covered:
* *The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts, and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages*, by J.E. Kaufmann, H.W. Kaufmann, and Robert Jurga (best book on the subject ever written)
* *Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain*, by Marc Morris
* *Life in a Medieval Castle*, by Frances Gies and Joseph Gies
Those are the best three I’ve ever read. By the way, some of those children’s books are actually quite good, especially David Macaulay’s *Castle: Revised and in Full Color*. Also check out these two videos: [1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syjg6PHYFBo), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WlpTvmzwrk).