Castles of Ireland: Some Fortress Histories and Legends [Paperback]

C. L. Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2003

A sweeping novel of the time when the Holy Land was torn between the Crescent and the Cross. In this historical fiction set against the Crusades, the hero O'Neill, his sacrifice for the Arab girl he loves, and the treachery of the Knights Templar Grand Master, all play a part. Donn Byrne (Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne) was born in New York City. Shortly after his birth, however, his parents took him back to the land of his forefathers. There he was educated and came to know the people of whom he wrote so magically. At Dublin University his love for the Irish language and for a good fight won him many prizes, first as a writer in Gaelic and second as the University's lightweight boxing champion. After continuing his studies at the Sorbonne and the University of Leipzig, he returned to the United States, where, in 1911, he married and established a home in Brooklyn Heights. He earned his living, while trying to write short stories, as an editor of dictionaries. Soon his tales began to attract attention and he added to his collection of boxing prizes many others won in short-story contests. When Messer Marco Polo appeared in 1921 his reputation in the literary world was firmly established. Thereafter, whatever he wrote was hailed enthusiastically by his ever-growing public, until 1928, when his tragic death in an automobile accident cut short the career of one of America's best-loved story-tellers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph Pennell was born in 1857 and died in 1926. He began his work as an illustrator by selling drawings of south Philadelphia to Scribner's Monthly in 1881. In addition to his extensive sketches of American cities, he went to the Panama Canal and sketched a number of construction sites. He taught etching at the Arts Students' league in New York, wrote several books, served as an art critic on the Brooklyn Eagle, and helped run the New Society of Sculptors, Painters & Engravers.

Pennell is considered to have done more than any other one artist of his time to improve the quality of illustration both in the United States and abroad and to raise its status as an art. He produced more than 900 etched and mezzotint plates, some 621 lithographs, and innumerable drawings and water colors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) (June 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410103005
• ISBN-13: 978-1410103000
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,886,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)