"The book has widespread appeal...Photographers will appreciate the technical magnificence of perfectly parallel lines, remarkable lighting and subjects selected with great courage.  Book fanciers will be delighted with the superior reproduction, and everyone else will examine and re-examine these wonderful pictures by one of the nation's top free-lance photographers."
[The Washington Post]

"For those who didn't get enough of English country houses during the exhibit at the National Gallery, photographer Fred Maroon and English architectural historian Mark Girouard have provided a second look.  Maroon's lush photographs capture the beauty and personality of these extraordinary homes that were built by wealthy Englishmen from the Middle Ages through the Victorian period.  Accompanying the color photographs are nine essays based on interviews with the lords and ladies, butlers and maids who live and work in the houses.  No detail escapes Maroon's camera, which examines a wide range of decorative styles and historical periods.  In addition to the wide-angle shots of great halls, chapels and gardens, there also are close-ups of intricately carved furniture legs, stained-glass windows and ceiling murals."
[Washington Home]

"Maroon admits that the country seats that have been the pride and joy of the English nobility and gentry for centuries no longer bespeak economic and social power like they used to, but he insists 'they are as beautiful as they have been.'  It is doubtful that anyone, after perusing this luscious photographic tour of some of the finest country houses, would dispute his assertion."
[Booklist]

"This magnificent architectural tribute to great English homes built from the Middle Ages through the Victorian period provides a fascinating tour of the grandeur and exquisite decor for which they are world famous.  The lavish photographs are well worth the price of the book and the interesting descriptions and architectural explanations are an added bonus."
[Concise Book Reviews]

"The text and splendid color photos combine a history with illustrations of these national treasures.  Interviews with several of the stately homes' owners enliven the text, but readers will undoubtedly focus on the dazzling photographs.  These are views of grand halls and chambers and close-ups of statuary and painting preserved from ages past.  The vistas of the surrounding landscapes and gardens impress one with their size and the labor necessary to maintain such great edifices as Blenheim Palace (built by the Duke of Marlborough in 1705 and home to Winston Churchill)."
[Publishers Weekly]

"This beautifully photographed book re-opens the doors to these masterpieces and allows us all to go tramping through their gleaming interiors again, wide-eyed at their lavish detail and elegant proportions.  The text and photographs work together to capture more than just the stunning tapestries and the endless chandeliers; they convey the significance of these rooms to the English–their arts, culture, society–and to civilization as a whole.  Subject matter, caption material, photographs–the wealth is everywhere in this book, right down to the paper that it's printed on."
[Washington Post Book World]

"Surely the most beautiful of recent volumes on British mansions, this lovely book is virtually all pictures, rich, haunting colored photographs of the very best of English country houses.  The house names of the book are magical ones, and seldom have they been photographed so handsomely.  Scattered through the book are nine essays starring people who have lived in some of them, owners, staff and caretakers.  Well-captioned, beautifully reproduced, this portfolio is tailor-made for the delight of National Trust enthusiasts."
[The Anniston Star]