Thanks to a good starting point provided by several people who follow the sci.military.moderated newsgroup, I have found a few references that are pertinent to coastal fortification, and fortification in general. If you know of any other good references, please email me, I'm always looking.
"Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History", by Emanuel Raymond Lewis. This book is still available, you may find it at large bookstores, or at museums at some of the better managed coastal forts. This is the best general reference book on the subject I have found. It provides good coverage of all periods of fortification in the United States.
"Fortress America", by David A. Clary, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 1990. Excellent coverage of the history of coastal fortification at Hampton Roads. Also gives good insight into the workings of the Corp of Engineers over the history of coastal fortification.
"Guardians on the Gulf", by James C. and Irene S. Coleman, Pensacola Historical Society, Pensacola FL, 1982 (Revised 1995). Provides an excellent background on the history of fortification in the Pensacola area, including the Spanish, English, and American defenses constructed in the area. Available from the Pensacola Historical Society, or on order through most bookstores. ISBN 0-939566-02-8
"Defender of the Chesapeake: The Story of Fort Monroe", by Richard P. Weinert, Jr. and Colonel Robert Arthur, White Mane Publishing Company, Inc., Shippensburg, PA 1989 (Revised Edition). A very throrough history of the development of Fort Monroe. ISBN 0-942597-12-5.
"Fort McRee: A Castle Built on Sand", by James C. Coleman, Pensacola Historical Society, Pensacola FL, 1988. About the only book around giving information on Fort McRee, a third system fortification of Pensacola Bay which has been destroyed by the shifting position of the island where it was built. Hard to find, I had to get it used through a book dealer, and that did not prove to be cheap. ISBN 0-939566-06-0
"Pike: Fortress in the Wetlands", by Betram Hawthorne Groene, Southeastern Louisiana University Press, Hammond LA, 1988. A quite detailed history of Fort Pike on the Rigolets near New Orleans. Overall excellent, a little weak on the architecture of the fort. Somewhat hard to find, I was able to obtain a copy to read through Interlibrary Loan. ISBN 9-945083-00-9
"American Forts--Architectural Form and Function", by Willard Robinson. Good book, can be found in at least some major libraries. Gives a good overview of the type of plan of the First, Second, and Third System forts. (It has been pointed out that Robinson does tend to overemphasize the landward defenses of the coastal forts, and underemphasize the seaward defense aspects, something to keep in mind when reading this book)
"Modern American Harbor Defenses", by Mark A. Berhow. Provides a listing of all U.S. coastal fortifications between 1890 and 1950, along with their present condition, ownership, and remaining weapons. Great information for those interested in American coastal fortification. Available from the Fort MacArthur Museum Association, PO Box 268, San Pedro, CA 90731.
"American Harbor Defenses in the Pacific Territories" by Mark A. Berhow. Brief histories and status of U.S. coastal fortifications in Alaska, Hawaii, the Phillipines, and the Panama Canal Zone. Available from the Fort MacArthur Museum Association, PO Box 268, San Pedro, CA 90731..
"Two If By Sea: The Development of American Coastal Defense Policy", by Robert Browning III. Covers the development of American policies toward coastal defense from 1815 to 1914. Little on the fortifications themselves, deals primarily with the policy and politics of coastal defense systems. ISBN 0-313-23688-7
"Ships Versus Shore: Civil War Engagements Along Southern Shores and Rivers", by Dave Page. Gives a state by state review of battles where ships engaged shore batteries. It is an excellent reference if you are visiting various battle sites, providing information about the sites, and other places in the same locality worth visiting. ISBN 1-55853-267-6
"Custodians of the Coast: History of the United States Army Engineers at Galveston", by Lynn M. Alperin. Gives a cursory coverage of the Endicott and WW 2 fortifications at Galveston. Has several impressive pictures of what a hurricane can do to a Endicott period battery.
"The Concrete Battleship", by Francis J. Allen. A pictorial history of Fort Drum, a turreted fortification located in Manila Bay, the Phillipines. Great pictures! ISBN 0-929521-06-4
"Fortress Alcatraz: Guardian of the Golden Gate", by John A Martini. Interesting book on the relatively unknown history of Alcatraz as part of the harbor defenses San Francisco Bay. Published by Pacific Monograph, 1124 Kailua, Hawaii, 96734. ISBN 0-9629227-0-6
"Artillery at the Golden Gate: The Harbor Defenses of San Francisco in World War II", by Brian B. Chin. The title pretty much say it all, another good book. Published by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Inc., Missoula, Montana 59801. ISBN 0-929521-85-4
"A Slumbering Gaint of the Past (Fort Jefferson, U.S.A. in the Dry Tortugas)", by Rodman Bethel. A book with a little of everything about Fort Jefferson. It's not a big one (91 pages), but definitely worth having if you are interested in Fort Jefferson. Printed by W.L. Litho, Inc., Hialeah, Florida. This book doesn't have a ISBN number that I can find, and took some patience to find. I bought my copy from Amazon.com on the web, who does any excellent job of finding some of the more unusual books.
"Architecture of Aggression", by Keith Mallory and Arvid Ottar. Subtitled "A history of military architecture in North West Europe 1900-1945", which pretty much provides the description. Interesting book, with many excellent pictures of the Maginot Line, the Atlantic Wall, the Mulberry Harbours, etc. The copy I read was published by Archictectural Press Ltd (no other info). I found the same book titled as "The Architecture of War", and published in the US by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, New York.
ISBN 0 85139 009 9
"Military Architecture", by Quentin Hughes. An excellent book, covering fortification from the beginning of history up until around 1900. Worth obtaining if you find a copy, which may not be very common in the US, although some of the university architecture libararies may have copies to check out (that's where I found the copy I read). That copy was published by Hugh Evelyn Limited, 9 Fitzroy Square, London WIP 5AH. I didn't find any ISBN number on this copy.
"Fortress: A History of Military Defence", by Ian V. Hogg. A general reference on the history of fortification worldwide. Covers a wide scope, and provides a good reference for fortification terminology. I do not know about the current availability of this book, I bought my copy several years ago.
"Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare, 1660-1860", by Christopher Duffy. This book is outstanding book, covering everything related to fortification, from design to sieges. It doesn't have much on coastal fortification, but this is the best general fortification book I have read. ISBN 1-85367-247-5
"The Fortress in the Age of Vauban and Frederick the Great, 1660-1789", by Christopher Duffy. An excellent book which covers one of the most significant eras in land fortification. It doesn't cover coastal fortification to any extent. ISBN 0-7100-9648-8
"MAGNINOT IMITATIONS: Major Fortifications of Germany and Neighboring Countries", by J.E. Kaufmann and H.W. Kaufmann. An interesting book covering the pre-WWII fortifications of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. Published by Praeger Publishers in Westport, Connecticut and London. ISBN 0-275-95720-9
"Ship Island and the Confederacy", by Zed H. Burns. Gives a short history of Ship Island until and through the Civil War, with some information about the strategic reasoning for the placement of Fort Massachussets. This book will probably be very difficult to find outside of Mississippi, but I added it anyway.
"Forteca" This is an interesting periodical published in Poland. The primary language is Polish, but the articles have english summaries. It includes many pictures and illustrations, and the captions are also given in english. If you are interested in this publication, contact Jaroslaw Chorzepa .
Reprints of various U.S. training and service bulletins for many Endicott and later period weapons can be obtained from the Fort MacArthur Museum Association, PO Box 268, San Pedro, CA 90731.
Some info can be found in the series of publications by the National Parks Service about coastal forts which are under their control, including Sumpter, Moultrie, and others. These are very short (50-60 pages), but can be informative.
Information found in the text of these pages is also drawn from the tour brouchures and interpretive markers provided at each site. I have tried to verify this information with other sources when possible. I also usually speak at some length with the people who interpret and gives tours of the various sites. Their help is greatly appreciated.
Note: These books are generally oriented toward the military architecture and technology aspect of this subject. I have not included books that deal more with the conflicts structures were involved in.