The back jacket informs us that Ed Geldard is a professional landscape photographer and the content of the book reflect this. This is a tourist guide of the picturesgue castles of the North East (it extends into Durham) well illustrated with fine scenic photos, but not particularly illustrative of architectural detail. Has basic histories, some dated and, as usual, over dramatising and distorting warfare in the Northern march. A fine coffee table book to inspire a newcomer to castle studies of the beauty of castles but nothing more.