The History of Castles is the ultimate guide to the world's most fascinating castles and strongholds. Chapters include information on castles from France, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. An ideal book for history enthusiasts, people planning to take a vacation near one of these castles, and for anyone who is enamored of these breathtaking buildings.

A wonderfully illustrated, full-color book detailing the most magnificent castles of the world.

"Text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a "typical" castle and adjoining town in thirteenth-century Wales."--Title page verso.

First published in 1953, this book presents a description of 16 of the larger medieval fortresses in the Peloponnese, occupied by the Venetians between 1685 and 1715. It is also a beautifully written celebration of some of Greece's most striking, but also least studied, architectural monuments, inspired by a unique collection of 17th-century fortification plans (the Grimani codex) preserved in the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The author first saw the plans in 1948 and devoted the next four years of his life to a historical and archaeological investigation of the castles they depicted. At a time when most of the students at the American School were studying the classics, his interest in later Greek history was pioneering. He not only searched out hundreds of obscure documentary sources but also made a point of visiting, and personally describing and photographing, every castle. This was not an easy thing to do at the tail end of the Greek Civil War. The final publication was an instant classic, marked out by its evocative prose and Andrews's obvious fascination with the subject. The book has been long out of print. This new edition presents Andrews's original text with a new introduction which sets the work in context and discusses some of the developments in Greek castle studies since the 1950s. The Grimani maps, originally printed only in black and white, are now presented in their original colors.

A monumental, groundbreaking work, now in paperback, that shows how technological and strategic revolutions have transformed the battlefield Combining gripping narrative history with wide-ranging analysis, War Made New focuses on four "revolutions" in military affairs and describes how inventions ranging from gunpowder to GPS-guided air strikes have remade the field of battle—and shaped the rise and fall of empires. War Made New begins with the Gunpowder Revolution and explains warfare's evolution from ritualistic, drawn-out engagements to much deadlier events, precipitating the rise of the modern nation-state. He next explores the triumph of steel and steam during the Industrial Revolution, showing how it powered the spread of European colonial empires. Moving into the twentieth century and the Second Industrial Revolution, Boot examines three critical clashes of World War II to illustrate how new technology such as the tank, radio, and airplane ushered in terrifying new forms of warfare and the rise of centralized, and even totalitarian, world powers. Finally, Boot focuses on the Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iraq War—arguing that even as cutting-edge technologies have made America the greatest military power in world history, advanced communications systems have allowed decentralized, "irregular" forces to become an increasingly significant threat.

Library Friendly Edition of original- Find out who built castles, what knights did and what really went on inside castle walls in this entertaining and colourful look at medieval life.

From armor to jousting, Knights and Castles covers everything there is to know about knights and medieval castles. Knights and Castles takes an up-close look at the history of knights, their chivalrous code, the battles they fought, and more. Learn about the heroic actions of famous knights, including El Cid and Sir John Hawkwood, and the monks who took up arms to protect pilgrims. Explore famous castles, including Beaufort, Krak des Chevaliers, and Carisbrooke Castle. Discover what it took to become a knight in Knights and Castles. Perfect for 7-9 year olds starting to read alone, Level 3 titles include in-depth information presented through more complex sentence structure with increasing amount of text to expand the reader's general knowledge and confidence in reading. Additional information spreads are full of extra facts, developing the topics through a range of nonfiction presentation styles, such as fliers, instructions, and record-breaker statistics. Trusted by parents, teachers, and librarians, and loved by kids, DK's leveled reading series is now revised and updated. With new jackets and brand new nonfiction narrative content on the topics kids love, each book is written and reviewed by literacy experts, and contains a glossary and index making them the perfect choice for helping develop strong reading habits for kids ages 3-11.