The book, Fortress: A History of Military Defense, tells the story of fortification from the days when prehistoric men took cover behind ramparts of earth, to the days when World War II era Allied air forces blasted rocket-propelled bombs into German U-boat pens and the concrete defences of the Atlantic Wall.  Since the dawn of warfare, man has built defences against his enemies.  These defences started off as prehistoric earthworks which gave way to wood and stone leading to the mediaeval fort or castle.  Having stated the above, the focus of this book is on the post-gunpowder era, beginning with the Italian engineers of the 15th century, followed by the great fortress engineers of the 17th and 18th centuries, followed by the revival of fortification in the mid-19th century brought about by the perfection of rifled artillery.  By the beginning of the 20th century, massive fortress systems, particularly on European frontiers, were the ultimate defensive structures of this era.  The credibility of these massive defensive structures was brought into focus, however,  by powerful new weapons and by the conclusion of World War II fortifications as a defense against enemy forces were almost rendered useless.  The major sections of this book are as follows: 1) Ramparts and Palisades; 2) The Great Leveller; 3) The Entry of the Masters; 4) The Drawing Board Approach; 5) The Years of PLenty; 6) The Testing Time; 7) The Ferro-Concrete Revival; 8) Glossary and 9) Index.  In addition to a very informative narrative, this book includes the following features: 1) Approximately 105 black and white vintage photographs; 2) About 106 black and white illustrations and 3) 11 battlefield maps.  In the end, the book Fortress: A History of Military Defence, represents a comprhensive review of these military fortifications of the past, showing how, when and why they were built, their effectiveness in battle and how they were ultimately rendered useless by weapon developments and the changing nature of war.  This book is 160 pages and is in very good condition.  The author is Ian V. Hogg.  Edition published in 1977.