Published by: DISCOVERY (Karma: 1711.74) on 30 December 2008 | Views: 4219
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The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures.
Like Eyewitness Books? This is another nice entry in their series for younger readers. What is a castle? The book describes it thus: "A castle was the fortified private residence of a lord." The lord could be a king or a baron or some lesser noble. It was designed as both a residence AND a stronghold. The book begins by noting that such structures have had a long history (one ancestor goes back to Mycenae in about 1250 B.C.).
The volume moves on to consider the first castles (appearing in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D.). There is discussion of different approaches to building a castle such as the use of concentric rings to harden the castle against attack. There are also discussions of different styles in castles, from the Loire region in France to Spanish castles, to German castles (take a trip along the Rhine River, and you will see numerous examples) to Japan. There is discussion of how those who wanted to capture a castle would strategize and how castles were structured to defend against such attacks.
The volume considers the different functions of a castle--from defense to kitchens and eating to entertainment. The volume concludes with a discussion of the decline of castles.
All in all, a useful volume in the Eyewitness Books portfolio. Young readers, many of whom are enchanted by castles, are likely to find this a fun read and a source of knowledge.
