The Crusades: The Authoritative History Of The War For The Holy Land (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I've always been interested in the Crusades and found this book years ago in the bookstore but didn't buy it then. I found it online and finally bought it . It was as great as I expected it to be. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Crusades but I was amazed how much new information I learned and how wrong I was about how the Crusades came about. The writer does a fantastic job describing the reasons why the Crusades started and the problems faced by both the Christians and the Muslims throughout the era. I thought the beginning of the book, explaining the start of the Crusades and the reasoning for them was very well done and the author starts off detailing the first Crusades in tons of detail. I felt that as the book went on (and as the Crusades go on and on) he didn't quite keep up with the details though. I also felt the ending of the narrative was a little rushed. I felt the author was very even-handed with the Christian and Muslim sides of the era, which doesn't always happen in books about the Crusades. He didn't sugar-coat the lives and motivations of any of the players in the struggle. There is obviously a TON more to read about the Crusades. I would have liked more information on some of the later "stars" of the wars but know you can only do so much in a volume such as this. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Medieval history, war history, Christian history. It is a great starter on the subject. Reading it will only make the reader want to learn more about the Crusades and the participants. I am fairly certain that I have read more history books than is typical for a 24-year-old girl, perhaps more than is typical for a 50-year-old man. So, I have been around the history book block a time or two. I have slowly been starting to get more and more interested in the earlier decades of the creation of nations or empires in Europe. The Crusades have always been a fairly basic given to me, Christians went to war to promote Christianity and take back Jerusalem. Cool? Reading this book, I really enjoyed the fairly unbiased look at both the Christian and Islamic camps in these struggles. It is easy to gloss over certain factors whether in favour of Christianity or Islam so equally presenting the mythic and the real, probable reasons behind actions was fantastic. It was a thorough look at the Crusades, the reasons, the preparations, the decisions, the battles and the outcomes, through the eyes of both Christian and Islamic warriors. For an overview of the entire saga of the Crusades, this was definitely a good book to read.
What do You think about The Crusades: The Authoritative History Of The War For The Holy Land (2010)?
Well researched but extremely dry. I would not be inclined to pick up another book by this writer.
—Fic_reader
The best history book I've ever read. No question. Accessible, well paced. Keeps you hooked.
—darionfa
An extremely interesting book, that shows the point of view from both sides of the story.
—trace
A top notch history, and an interesting read too!
—Maya
