'We will fight them on the beaches' For millennia island nations have known that invasion would come from the sea and that the enemy would select the most suitable point of disembarkation-a safe bay or harbour, a wide estuary of a deeply penetrating river or a good sheltered beach. Britain has been preparing for such invasions since ancient times. Eventually invaders did come in the form of the Romans followed by the Normans, and both built coastal defences to suit their needs. Each later monarch of England added new defences-from castles to estuary chains-according to the dangers they faced. This excellent book charts and describes, with diagrams and other illustrations, notable British coastal defences from the earliest period to the 19th century. It is an invaluable reference work but also a very useful guide for those who wish to visit these vital buildings and elements of national and maritime defence. This book is enhanced by the addition of a fascinating (though somewhat naive) speculative piece, written by a fervent detractor in the Victorian era, describing the inevitable successful invasion of England as a consequence of the proposed building of a Channel tunnel to France. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.