An endorsement on the back of the book by Michael Freeman of the Ceredigion Museum in Wales best describes the work. He wrote: "This well-researched book deals with all aspects of the castle in Britain. The author knows her subject well and writes lucidly about more than just the structures: she places them in their socio-political and historical contexts which casts a fresh light on their complex histories over several centuries."

It is not a coffee table book, but a well written book that is enjoyable to read and covers the subject of British castles well. The text provides a description of these medieval structures that includes background material and how the castles evolved through and even after the Medieval Period. The author provides the type of detail expected for a book on castles and sieges, but her skillful mix of British history makes this all so much better than what is found in similar works.

Even some of the aspects that are usually ignored because they are not truly about castles are described in detail because they play an important part in the human imagination. One that I found quite interesting was the author's description of how some castles, although not built for that purpose, were used as prisons and some of the famous personalities involved, although much of this happened after the medieval period. A description is included of the oubliette and its use. This is one of those mysterious features few castles had for isolating prisoners from the world. It was basically a windowless pit- like feature (bottle shaped) where entrance and exit was only possible by rope or ladder. Other items covered that are of interest include the "Sham" castles built after the medieval period as imitations of the real thing.

If there are any problems with this work it may only be said that the publisher opted not to include any plans or maps, but they did include many interesting photos. When this book is done in paperback we can only hope that plans and maps will be added by the publisher to truly make this a classic work. For now the reader can probably find a decent map of the location of castles on the internet and also plans of the ones covered. If you are interested in castles in the British Isles, or castles in general, this excellent book is a must!