Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle [Hardcover]

Richard Platt (Author), Stephen Biesty (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Carry out the King's secret mission and learn of medieval life at the same time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A knight or a baron may dwell in the 14th-century castle lovingly recreated here, but Platt and Biesty's (Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War) latest book is, quite simply, fit for a king. In the style of the previous Cross-Sections titles, each oversized spread shows a cutaway view of an area of a quintessential castle and is organized around a central theme (e.g., "Building the Castle," "Livestock and Produce," "Weapons and Punishment"). Biesty brings a jeweler's eye to his seemingly infinitely detailed illustrations, while Platt supplies punchy bite-sized text blocks to highlight information about the edifice itself as well as those who lived within its walls. They introduce the ale connor, who would test the purity of the beer by pouring a bit onto a bench and then sitting on it; low-quality beer would be sugary and would glue the connor's leather breeches to the bench. Hunting dogs, Platt states, lived in heated kennels and ate specially baked bread; hot water was such a luxury that even a 13th-century English king bathed no more than once every three weeks. Easy frames of reference (a suit of armor "cost about the same as a car costs today") help the reader assimilate these disparate facts, and Biesty and Platt are sure to please the younger members of their audience with their candor about such subjects as latrines and methods of torture. A challenge to find the enemy spy who lurks amid the packed spreads is icing on the cake. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-Another browsing item extraordinaire from the creators of Man-of-War (Dorling Kindersley, 1993), with huge paintings featuring hundreds of tiny figures scurrying purposefully about a 14th-Century castle's shalls and walls, all surrounded by captions and an array of random facts. Biesty creates a composite fortress, based on Chinon in France and England's Chepstow; he slices the building into 10 sections, and illustrates a particular topic-"Building the Castle," "Trades and Skills," "Weapons and Punishment," etc.-in each. The purpose here is less to inform than to entertain; sharp-eyed Waldo fans are invited to track down a spy who sneaks in at the beginning, but if that's too tame, they'll also find diminuitive scenes of torture and bloodshed, latrines in use, hapless "gong farmers" shoveling excrement, people unclothed or being doctored, weapons practice, petty crime, and general horseplay. Platt's text follows in the same vein, supplementing generalities about medieval work, life, and social structures with examples chosen for their gross-out value. Most collections will already own more reliable, detailed depictions of castle life, but not on so grand a scale. The wordless opening and closing spreads, in which the castle faces and repels an attacking army, are alone worth the price of the book.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley; 1st edition (September 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564584674
• ISBN-13: 978-1564584670
• Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 10.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Architecture
  • #34 in Books > Children's Books > History > Medieval
  • #48 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > How Things Work

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for adults, too!, April 15, 2001

By 

a reader (Laguna Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle (Hardcover)

Although this book is marketed as a children's book, I highly recommend it for adults as well. As someone who is just becoming interested in medieval culture and castles, this was a great starting place for me.

Each two-page spread is dedicated to a different subject (castle structure, jobs, entertainment, weapons, etc.). I learned a lot about life in and around the castle in a very short time by reading all the little notes that pointed out all the different aspects of what was going on in the picture.

This will be a great help to me when I construct the miniature castle that I plan to make. It's also just a lot of fun to read!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cross-Sections Castle is an Awesome Book, March 5, 2001

By 

Topher (North Carolina, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle (Hardcover)

This is an exceptional book that is intended for children aged 9 to 12, but is fascinating even for adult readers. You get to see and learn about a fully functional castle in it's heyday. A grand medieval castle is divided into it's many different subsections. Each part of the castle is shown and described in great detail. Its inhabitants, from the Royalty and their residential area, to the toiling peasants and craftsmen, to the military with their weaponry and defenses, are included. There is also a "Where's Waldo" type "Find the Spy" hidden in each cross section. While the squeamish may have some objection to the miniscule amount of material depicting the treatment of captured enemies, and some potty humor involving the functioning of the castle lavatory, I suggest it's a good opportunity for discussion as it really only enhances the thoroughness of the material. It is a good educational resource and a fun book to "read".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle, July 9, 2000

By 

Maximillian Ben Hanan (Sacramento, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle (Hardcover)

This is really a wonderful book about castles. I'd easily placeit with David Macauley's classic "Castles." What reallymakes this book is its wonderful cross-section illustrations of castles which make the architecture of the castle easily accessible to the reader, child or adult. As castle model builder, this book was a "god-send." I have used the many illustrations and comment to make blueprints for my castle reproductions...the ultimate compliment to this book came from my nephews (4 & 5yo) who ask their uncle every visit to pull down this book and read about castles!