Castle Builders

"Obviously the most concentrated period of castle building occurred shortly after the Norman invasion in 1066. Author Malcolm Hislop uncovers some fascinating facts about the people who designed and built the amazing fortresses that have survived to the present day." ~Books Monthly

"This encyclopaedic work provides a comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the Medieval Castle and is likely to become a standard reference work on the subject. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in both castles per se and the ‘Medieval era’ / ‘Middle Ages’ in general." ~NZ Crown Mines

"A look at the hugely popular subject of castles from the unusual perspective of design and construction. In this general introduction to the subject, we discover something of the personalities behind their creation - the architects and craftsmen - and, furthermore, the techniques they employed, and how style and technology was disseminated." ~Exclusively British

"There's no shortage of books on castles, many of them derivative or dull. This is neither...... The best book on castles for some time." ~British Archaeology, July/August 2017

Architectural details and military engineers are naturally in the foreground and castle communities in the background, but the execution is superb, the detail and the text accurate, incisive and navigable. The result is a volume that is going to be consulted rather than pushing debates in different directions, but it serves a very useful purpose, will stand the test of time, and fills a gap in the existing literature. ~Medieval Archaeology