Forts: An illustrated history of building for defence

Description

The forts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were like snowflakes in their complexity and beautiful geometry. They were ephemeral too; they first appeared in Tudor times, with earthworks and bastions arranged in star or rose patterns, yet by the late nineteenth century they were all but redundant. This book will use The National Archives' extensive collection of beautiful drawings and maps to explain the story of these structures- why they were built, their various functions and their immense historical legacy in laying the foundations of empire. Without forts, the history of America could have taken a very different course, pirates could have sailed the seas unchecked and Britain itself could have been successfully invaded.

For sales / publishing only. We can go two ways with this book. TNA suggested that we ask Jeremy Black to write the text and captions and he is willing to do this. However, we will have to pay him a higher advance than we would have had to do if we were working with TNA alone. We would probably need sales figures of c.4K to make this viable. Alternatively, the book could be written and edited by a team of specialist researchers at The National Archives. One of the suggested contributors, Dr George Hay, has a wealth of knowledge and experience on military installations.

The number and quality of the illustrations make this book a real bargain, and it is easy to recommend it to anyone interested in fortifications. - The Coast Defense Journal Beautifully illustrated. - Army Magazine