John Goodall has written what is perhaps the most important, authoritative, and scholarly book on English castles for a generation. It is a large tome (weighing seven pounds) with an incredible amount of information, marshaled in great detail and presented with deep understanding, clarity, and command. Additionally, Goodall proposes a series of exciting new ideas here that, taken together, mark a watershed in castle studies.

The author states his aim in The English Castle thus: “this book is an architectural study that aims to set this legion of buildings in historical context. … It is intended to be a provocative work, challenging received opinions, and, hopefully, formulating many new ones” (xiii). Goodall organizes the book chronologically: after an introductory discussion, we get successive chapters organized around royal reigns, with titles such as “The Early Angevin Castle: Henry II and Richard I” and “The Lion of England: Edward III.” Its chronological...

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