Patrick Cormack (1939–2024)

Fun book about castles in Britain. Twenty-five castles are covered. There are good pictures of the outside of each castle and at least 3 or 4 photos of various rooms inside. There are 3 to 6 or so pages of history of each castle. Very interesting and accessible for general reading.

From the Introduction:

It is something of a paradox that buildings which evoke such powerful nostalgia were erected for such unpeaceful purposes and witnessed so many scenes of violence and brutality. But much of their charm lies in their desolation. They are, and yet they have ceased to be: in them our powers of imagination are set to work.

… (more)