The Castles of Scotland [Paperback]

Martin Coventry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

The Castles of Scotland is the most complete and comprehensive guide available to the nation's wealth of castles. The main function of the castle was defensive, to protect the laird and his family from their enemies, in as comfortable surroundings as possible; but the castle also served as the centre of administration of the laird's lands, where tenure, economy and trade were controlled. The Castles of Scotland is the most complete and comprehensive guide available to the nation's wealth of castles. This new edition is the culmination of 10 years' research, and covers more than 2700 castles as well as mansions and historic houses, all alphabetically organised, with detailed maps, visiting information, illustrations, and anecdotes of hauntings and family histories. This is the 'bible of Scottish castles', an absolute must for all castle enthusiasts and anyone interested in Scottish history.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Coventry was born and educated in Edinburgh and set up Goblinshead in order to make a living publishing, and pursue his interets in Scottish history, travel, castles, and ghosts and the supernatural. He has written several other books including The Hebrides: The Western Isles of Scotland, Haunted Houses and Castles of Scotland and Hebridean Island Hopping. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Goblinshead; 2nd edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1899874100
• ISBN-13: 978-1899874101
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,170,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent guide to Scottish castles, June 12, 2001

By 

D. D. Rankin "David" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Castles of Scotland (Paperback)

This book is an excellent guide to Scottish castles and certainly the most comprehensive book I have seen on this subject. It goes into great detail about 2500 sites of castles and fortified houses going back down the centuries. It gives lots of information about each site including a description , location , history of ownership and opening times . Most castles in Scotland are either owned by Historic Scotland , the National Trust or private individuals. There is probably a lot more in this book than you could ever imagine about Scottish castles. I have some pictures of 20 Scottish castles on my website http://www.castlepictures.com but the scope of this book is way beyond that .

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Castle Buffs Dream of a Handbook like this one..., May 20, 2003

By 

Deborah R. Foulkes (Winthrop by the Sea, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Castles of Scotland (Paperback)

Want to find the ancient ruins of your family's Scottish history? Then arm yourself with a copy of this book by Martin Coventry and a map from the local Ordinance Surveys and you are on your way to discovering real history that you can see, hear, feel, touch...Martin is constantly updating his information; receptive to additions and changes from all sources to his unique work. A real treasure of information; I would not be without one as I recently wrote a first of three books on the medieval Douglas Clan. A fine research tool for the professional or amateur castle "buff."

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate book on every major Castle in Scotland, October 14, 1998

By 

Bob Schott <[e-mail]> (Los Angeles, California US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castles of Scotland: A Comprehensive Reference and Gazetteer to 1700 Castles (Paperback)

This is the finest and most accurate book on Castles in Scotland you will find. Complete with photographs and illustrations, Martin Coventry gives the reader an accurate historical-to-present story, complete with over 290 pages of locations and contacts, of almost every Castle in Scotland. Mr Coventry is considered by many as Scotlands foremost authority on anything to do with Castles in Scotland. As the producer and paranormal investigator for the Adventures Beyond series, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Mr. Coventry in person. It was partly due to his recommendation that we decided on investigating what is reported to be the most Haunted and evil castle in all of Europe, Hermitage Castle. Mr. Coventry prides himself on being as accurate as possible and has done immense research on every Castle he lists in his books. This book is an excellent informational tool as well as an indepth guide book.

Anyone interested in Castles in Europe or planning a visit to Scotland needs to get a copy of this book. Mr. Coventry also puts out a smaller handbook of Haunted Castles and locations called, 'A WEE GUIDE to The Haunted Castles of Scotland', which deals specifically with those castles reported as being Haunted. This book is a must for those interested in the medieval fortresses which are rich in history and shrouded in legend and mystery. This book provided Adventures Beyond with accurate hard to find historical and factual background information on both of the Castles we investigated in our documentaries, Threave Castle, in Castle Douglas and Hermitage Castle in the South of Scotland. Well worth it at twice the price.