The Normans: Warrior Knights and Their Castles

by David Nicolle and Christopher Gravett

Book Overview

The Norman Knight was the most feared warrior during the 11th and 12th centuries in Western Europe. Tales of their conquests spread throughout the known world as their military prowess resulted in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1846030889
• ISBN13: 9781846030888
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (WA)
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.8" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Best on Normans

This is perhaps the greatest and most comprehensive title on the Normans published to date. There are other titles that delve into greater nuances of Norman history. There are none that give the reader a more thorough overview, understanding, and comprehension of the Normans, their achievements and the world in which they lived. What impressed me most is the collection of content from several earlier Osprey titles into a cohesive and expansive whole. With this title, Osprey has truly created a book worthy of being hardbound for libraries and collections. The inclusion of amazing illustrations by artists such as Angus McBride from the Warrior, Men-at-Arms, and Fortifications series gives the reader a unique and clear perspective this period of history and it's people. If you're interested in medieval history, especially military history, this should be at the top of your list for reference material. A book you'll read cover to cover, and come back to time and again. If you're a living history participant, there is probably no better starting point for research. If only all history books were this good!

Great

Great book! Consider myself a decent History buff; learned quite alot from this book. More amazing, it remained interesting throughout. I recommend it if the Normans, or Middle Ages in general, interest you.

Captivating military history of a Medieval power

The Normans of the 11th and 12th centuries were simultaneously something less than a true nation and also an international superpower, blended from their Viking and French ancestors. They shaped the future of Britain and France and, to a considerable extent, the Mediterranean world. "The Normans" is a lively history of their far-ranging activities and military culture. Gravett's book is essentially a hardcover reissue of several previous Osprey paperbacks about the Normans, reworked into a single coherent volume (which, true to its parents, is particularly strong on the subject of Norman fortifications), retaining the usual lavish Osprey illustrations. Where Osprey paperbacks tend to be quite pricey for their size, this new hardcover is a real bargain.

Warrior Knights And Their Castles

For the last few years I have been buying books from Osprey on various military subjects. This lastest book from Osprey is a very well done book. Anyone interested in medieval events can hardly side step the Normans, and if interest is at a higher level, this book is a "must have". While the book contains new and added material it was orginally published as separate Osprey softcover books: Elite #9 The Normans, Fortress #13 Norman Stone Castles (1)The British Isles 1066-1216, Fortress #18 Norman Stone Castles (2) Europe 950-1204, and Warrior #1 The Norman Knight AD 950-1204. The 256 pages in this single volume hold many pictures and illustrations, most in color. And at the inception, a wonderful Chronology lists historical information about the Normans beginning in AD 911 through AD 1287. It may be time for you to discover Osprey Publishing, and there would no better book to do so than this one on the Normans; unless it would be the newly published volume on The Vikings! Good reading. Semper Fi.