Castle Quest - Reply to Topic

Forum:	Castles In General & Medieval History
Topic:	Castle Term Diagram

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T O P I C R E V I E W
lalambert96 I have begun writing a fiction novel involving a royal family living in a castle. Admittedly, I know absolutely nothing about castles and at first glance of the glossery provided on this site thought all my problems had been solved. Now, I seem to be confused again. For example, is there a difference in calling the low segments of a battlement a crenel or an embrasure? And I am sure that I have no understanding of what constitutes a battlement vs. a parapet.
I was wondering if there may be a diagram of a castle with some of the terms in your glossary naming the specific parts, or maybe a book that I would be able to purchase that could clear up my confusion. I do, so much, want my descriptions to be accurate.
Thank you for any help you may be able to lend. And if it does your heart good to know, yes, I am blonde!
Lori Anne
Levan One of the 'classic' books on the subject is by Sidney Toy:
"Castles: Their Construction and History"
The book is quite old-fashioned, but has all the detail you could ask for - lots of diagrams too. The book is also very reasonably priced.
I don't normally include links to a specific retailer, but I think you might find the reviews quite helpful:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486248984/qid=1097654678/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-2895910-1253437#product-details[/URL]
http://www.amazon.com/exec /obidos/tg/detail/-/0486248984/qid=1097654902/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-6374165-4277423?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
I also recommend browsing through the Castle Quest "Book Nook" - you might need to change your preferences to "show all topics" in the forum.
Levan
[This message has been edited by Levan (edited 10-13-2004).]
Peter Blonde!
What's blonde got to do with it?
Toy's book is excellent. But why not pop down to your local library, and have a look in the junior section. No, not joking, some of the books for mid-range children are brilliant. Far more descripiive than when I was knee-high.
We bought one for our grandson last Xmas. One of these pop-up, pull-out things. Very well put together I must say.
Just try it first, you can always progress to something heavier if you feel the need to do so.
Peter
Levan Another good book (and a big one too) with good diagrams, and covering a wide variety of castles:
"The Medieval Fortresses: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages" by H.W. Kaufmann, J.E. Kaufmann, illustrated by Robert M. Jurga. ISBN: 0306813580
The book is especially good in explaining the evolution of castles from wooden forts to dealing with gunpowder. It also looks at how castles featured in military strategies.
Levan