A History and Guide to Scottish Castles
by Jenna Maxwell
On This Page
Description
At one time, Scotland was home to more than 4,000 castles. It's an extraordinary number for such a small country and today, around 3,000 still stand.Some are world famous, others have inspired great works of literature, while others have lit up the silver screen.There are grand, ticketed visitor attractions but there are others which are unassuming structures so tucked away that only the locals seem to know about them.From the triangular-shaped Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway to show more the imposing New Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and from the magnificent fortress that dominates the Edinburgh skyline to the haunting battlements that stand on the banks of Loch Ness, each tower tells a story, every turret holds a secret and, together, they span centuries of fascinating Scottish history.A History and Guide to Scottish Castles explores the history, architecture, and legends of some of these fascinating fortresses and looks at why they are so appealing to visitors today.Sharing amazing facts and her own unique experiences, author Jenna Maxwell takes readers on an unforgettable tour of some of Scotland's most amazing castles which, if you haven't visited them already, you'll soon want to. Jenna has documented her journey on her Instagram page @queenofthecastles show lessTags
Member Reviews
A History and Guide to Scottish Castles by Jenna Maxwell is a wonderful mix of history, travelogue, and guidebook. With the addition of popular culture references and beautiful photographs, this is both useful and a fun read.
In an engaging voice Maxwell takes the reader on a trip to many of the castles in Scotland. We get a feel for how we can see them today as well as the history. For those who haven't yet visited, or may never get the chance, photographs and mentions of places we may have seen or heard about the castles help to make us feel like we are there.
I don't think this would be great as the only guidebook for a tour, but then I'm not sure that is the intention. This is, however, ideal as a companion to a more traditional tour show more guide that has maps and road routes. The information is enough to please both a reader and a tourist deciding which castles might appeal to them. Prefer the more maintained castles or the ruins that might speak more intimately to the history of both nobility and violence (human and natural varieties)? They're in here.
As I am wont to do, I looked up many of these castles online to get even more views. This made the information in the text come even more alive. The pictures in the book are wonderful and sufficient, adding the internet images gives more variety without making the book too unwieldy because of too many photographs.
Highly recommended for those with an interest in castles, especially Scottish castles. This is also a great resource for anyone planning a visit to Scotland. Because of the weaving of history, travelogue, and popular culture references, this is also just a very good read for those wanting to do a bit of armchair traveling.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less
In an engaging voice Maxwell takes the reader on a trip to many of the castles in Scotland. We get a feel for how we can see them today as well as the history. For those who haven't yet visited, or may never get the chance, photographs and mentions of places we may have seen or heard about the castles help to make us feel like we are there.
I don't think this would be great as the only guidebook for a tour, but then I'm not sure that is the intention. This is, however, ideal as a companion to a more traditional tour show more guide that has maps and road routes. The information is enough to please both a reader and a tourist deciding which castles might appeal to them. Prefer the more maintained castles or the ruins that might speak more intimately to the history of both nobility and violence (human and natural varieties)? They're in here.
As I am wont to do, I looked up many of these castles online to get even more views. This made the information in the text come even more alive. The pictures in the book are wonderful and sufficient, adding the internet images gives more variety without making the book too unwieldy because of too many photographs.
Highly recommended for those with an interest in castles, especially Scottish castles. This is also a great resource for anyone planning a visit to Scotland. Because of the weaving of history, travelogue, and popular culture references, this is also just a very good read for those wanting to do a bit of armchair traveling.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
al.vick-wishlist-history
70 works; 2 members
Author Information
1 Work 6 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2022
- Dedication
- For my little explorers, Sabrina and Thomas
- First words
- What's not to love about castles?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It's now in a ruined state, and with only around 200 people living on Raasay, it will probably stay that way.
Classifications
- Genres
- Art & Design, Nonfiction, Travel, History, Home & Garden, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 728.8109411 — Arts & recreation Architecture Residential and related buildings Large and elaborate private dwellings Castles History, geographic treatment, biography Europe British Isles
- LCC
- DA875 .C682 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain Scotland Description and travel
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 6
- Popularity
- 3,032,600
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
