Abandoned Castles

Ruins perched on cliff tops, towers enclosed in ivy and moss, and battlements watching over frontiers that have ceased to exist… When we see the remains of castles we are bound to wonder: Who built them? What battles were fought here? And when did they fall into ruin? From Ancient Greece to the Hundred Years War and on to the American Civil War, Abandoned Castles explores more than 100 hill and sea forts, castles, towers and citadels from Europe to the Americas, from Africa to India and Japan. Featuring Roman forts, Norman keeps, magnificent French medieval châteaux and Gothic strongholds, Kieron Connolly explains the roles these places played in history. But each castle doesn t tell us about just one moment in the past. Many were built in one century, expanded in another, perhaps besieged hundreds of years later, and ruined later still. Over the years their names often changed, states rose and fell, and borders moved or were even dissolved but the castles remained. And in their ragged walls we can see layers of history, from changing architectural styles to how the buildings were made ever stronger until the castles themselves became obsolete. With 150 outstanding photographs, Abandoned Castles is a brilliant pictorial examination of worlds gone by. AUTHOR: Kieron Connolly’s books include Abandoned Places, Abandoned Civilisations and Dark History of Hollywood. He has written for the Mail on Sunday, the Daily Mail and The Times. He is a graduate in history from Edinburgh University and in film from the National Film & Television School. He lives in London. SELLING POINTS: . 150 superb colour photographs of abandoned forts, castles and citadels . Expert text explains the fascinating stories behind each castle . Wide selection of ancient, medieval and colonial castles, forts and defensive emplacements from all around the world