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Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors Paperback – September 12, 2013

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Debra Brown (Editor)
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Debra Brown (Editor),
M.M. Bennetts (Editor)
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4.7 out of 5 stars 22 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 530 pages
  • Publisher: Madison Street Publishing (September 12, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983671966
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983671961
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.2 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
a fountain of knowledge penned by wordsmiths who have a passion for the past
By Helen Hollick on September 20, 2013
Format: Paperback
Behind every good historical novel is a ream of in-depth research. The characters and the plot are important, but blatant errors of fact can ruin the enjoyment of a fictional adventure. Most modern Historical Fiction authors take great care to delve into the reality of the period they intend to write about, often down to the minutest detail. This book is a splendid source of interesting information gleaned to serve as a solid foundation to some very good novels. Castles, Customs and Kings is a compilation of easy to read essays written by a variety of enthusiastic authors - some indie, some mainstream - all of whom possess a keenness to unravel the facts from the fiction. From Roman Britain to the Twentieth Century, the articles are superbly laid out in chronological order - you can dip in and out as you please, or read from article to article; either way, when you eventually put the book down you'll have discovered something new while being thoroughly entertained. This is an "I didn't know that" book, guaranteed to inspire and intrigue; you'll find yourself absorbed in the fountain of knowledge penned by wordsmiths who have a passion for the past.

(This book was a pre-published proof edition sent to me for review.
Helen Hollick is an author of Historical Fiction, Historical Adventure and UK Indie Review Editor for the Historical Novel Society )
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A Treasure Trove of Information!
By Regan on December 10, 2013
Format: Paperback
A compilation of short essays from the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this hefty book provides a wealth of historical information from Roman Britain to early twentieth century England. Over fifty different authors share hundreds of articles with insightful information they have discovered while doing research for their novels.

There are nine sections:

1. Roman Britain and Early Medieval Period (55 BC – AD 1000)
2. Late Medieval Period (1001-1485)
3. Tudor Period (1485-1603)
4. Stuart Period (1603-1714)
5. Early Georgian Period (1715-1800)
6. Late Georgian and Regency Era (1800-1837)
7. Victorian Era (1837-1901)
8. Twentieth Century
9. Historical Tidbits Across the Ages (things like dogs, clocks and Christmas)

From Queen Boadicea's revolt to Tudor ladies-in-waiting, from Regency dining and dress to Victorian crimes and technology, it’s all about Great Britain—the stories behind England's castles, customs, and kings.

The articles are not deep research, though they may reflect it. They are brief looks at specific issues (some less than a page; most are 2-3 pages). Some list references; some do not. To anyone who follows the English Historical Fiction blog, as I do, it’s nice having a compendium of their posts in one place. And for anyone doing serious research, this is a place to begin to get a feel for the specific periods and perhaps for clothing, food and even specific technologies (like the flush toilet, mirrors, and as I already mentioned, clocks).

I do not recommend buying this as an eBook if you want to use it as a reference. I first tried to read it that way and found it overly cumbersome. Having the 514-page book on one’s shelf is so much better. There’s a handy Table of Contents that allows you to quickly turn to an article of interest.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A Diverse Array of Essays About British History
By MrLincoln on March 12, 2014
Format: Paperback
A product of the English Historical Fiction Authors Blog, 'Castles, Customs, and Kings' contains roughly 200 essays that cover a diverse array of topics from British history. As the title reveals, frequent topics include historic places, historic personages, and (my personal favorite) historic customs. The last category is possibly the most heavily frequented, because a historical fiction author must strive to create a realistic setting for their story. As a reader of history–both non-fiction and fiction–I appreciated the essays that examined the customs of a certain time period, as they were quite revealing as to issues and facts that are not always discussed in an academic recitation of history.

The essays cover and are divided into 9 sections:

1. Roman Britain and Early Medieval Period (55 B.C. – A.D. 1000)
2. Late Medieval Period (1001–1485)
3. Tudor Period (1485–1603)
4. Stuart Period (1603–1714)
5. Early Georgian Period (1715–1800)
6. Late Georgian and Regency Era (1800–1837)
7. Victorian Era (1837–1901)
8. Twentieth Century
9. Historical Tidbits Across the Ages

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who appreciates history and fiction set in Britain. There is something relevant to each major period of British history, and the essays are well written and concise, making for easy reading that can be put down and picked back up at leisure. Another thing I appreciated about the book is that each author uses their essay as a means to explain and document their inspiration for a particular setting, character, or event in one of their historical fiction novels. Thus, Castles, Customs, and Kings is also a great way to discover historical fiction authors that you may not have otherwise run across!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Awesome reference book and reading material about the people places and events that compose English History.
By LouAnn LaJeunesse on March 22, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
Castles, Customs and Kings
by Debra Brown Author, Editor

I recieved a copy of this book in return for an honest review. That being said....
It is not a typical novel. But it kept my attention as a novel would. I read all 548 pages taking a minimal number of breaks. It kept my attention throughout.
I love history. I always have. If I read and a person, place or event is referenced, I have a need to find more about it. It creates a need for me to look for more reading material about it. This book did just that for me. If I had had books similar in nature to this one when writing papers for school, I would have begun my research there.
The book is in 9 parts
There are nine sections: Starting at about 55BC and continuing chronologically to the Twentieth Century.

1. Roman Britain and Early Medieval Period (55 BC – AD 1000)
2. Late Medieval Period (1001-1485)
3. Tudor Period (1485-1603)
4. Stuart Period (1603-1714)
5. Early Georgian Period (1715-1800)
6. Late Georgian and Regency Era (1800-1837)
7. Victorian Era (1837-1901)
8. Twentieth Century
9. Historical Tidbits Across the Ages
It includes historical events told as acurately as possible after all history can be a bit illusive when you cover that large a span of time, going back that far. It tells the stories of people and places. It covers political issues as well as religous ones. Youu learn about everyday life, clothing food and so much more.
It includes references including the authors whose work was researched numbering over 50. You will even find the titles of other works they have done. I decided early on in my time reading this that I had to have an actual physical copy.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Great resource and insights into ancient times.

True romance writers have a need to incorporate relics and stories of the past. This is a lovely compilation of serious romance writers findings. Most interesting. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kathleen M. Bush
Five Stars

thank-you

Published 3 months ago by debra stanton
British history? Yes please.

Castles, Customs and Kings edited by Debra Brown and the late M.M. Bennetts and has essays from such historical fiction authors such as Katherine Ashe, Gillian Bagwell, Nancy... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Kathleen Kelly
Three Stars

Not much info about kings as per title

Published 7 months ago by Carmen watson
fantastic book. Now that I have that out of ...

First, fantastic book. Now that I have that out of the way, I can get more analytical.

Castles, Customs and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors is a... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Janet Wertman
A very fine book weather you're reading it for the historical tales...

A very fine book weather you're reading it for the historical tales or if your using it as a writer's reference book on the customs and factual historic record of past men and... Read more

Published 14 months ago by V.J.M
I love the fact this is full of short essays on ...

I love the fact this is full of short essays on interesting topics. Great for commutes to work on the bus or train.

Published 14 months ago by anne george
Four Stars

Good articles for ref.

Published 15 months ago by J. Schmid
Great book....

If you love history, and details and want an understanding of the history of the UK, this is the book. I love it!

Published 15 months ago by Patti L. Schuster
Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historicsl Fiction...

Being an Anglophile, I read a great deal of historicsl fiction about England. The first stories I read in this book were fascinating . Read more

Published 21 months ago by Lorraine W. Besch

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