Crusades

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly Work, not for the lay reader.
Review: Having read this book from its French translation, I was impressed with its clear prose. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a in-depth, scholastic-minded work on the first three crusades; I would suggest another work for the lay reader, or someone without a wealth of knowledge on the subject already. The only problem is that while the work deals with the Islamic response to the Frankish invasion of the Holy land, it only takes a small portion of the book. The other trap the book falls in is an age old one for historical works: We are presented with quasi-fleshed out people, and the author aludes to great knolwledge while failing to translate that wealth of knowledge to paper. Still very informative and well worth reading. The author makes great use of period source documents, worth reading for this alone. If you can find a copy get it and treasure it.

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly Work, not for the lay reader.
Review: Having read this book from its French translation, I was impressed with its clear prose. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a in-depth, scholastic-minded work on the first three crusades; I would suggest another work for the lay reader, or someone without a wealth of knowledge on the subject already. The only problem is that while the work deals with the Islamic response to the Frankish invasion of the Holy land, it only takes a small portion of the book. The other trap the book falls in is an age old one for historical works: We are presented with quasi-fleshed out people, and the author aludes to great knolwledge while failing to translate that wealth of knowledge to paper. Still very informative and well worth reading. The author makes great use of period source documents, worth reading for this alone. If you can find a copy get it and treasure it.

Rating:
Summary: The Crusades
Review: Upon finishing the first half of this book, I soon found myself in a university library eagerly devouring smaller works on specific periods and figures that Oldenbourg introduced to me. I am a student of European history trying to narrow my interests before I apply to graduate school, and this book may prove very instrumental in guiding me toward the medieval period. It offers everything an inquisitive but largely uninformed reader could ask for-an even pace that piques the interest enough at every turn to inspire further inspection, lean but sufficiently detailed character sketches, a compelling narrative that provides minimal historiographical analysis, but enough to provoke the reader to draw his/her own conclusions... It also provides maps and illustrations, which are always a pleasant respite after mulling through hundreds of pages of prose.

One small complaint-the index and bibliography are light. This might be a non-factor, though, if you just want a thorough, solid account of an inherently interesting period of history to fulfill your personal interest. It's a good size at 700 or so pages, but I haven't come across a better overview of the first three crusades and believe me, I've been looking.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Overview
Review: Upon finishing the first half of this book, I soon found myself in a university library eagerly devouring smaller works on specific periods and figures that Oldenbourg introduced to me. I am a student of European history trying to narrow my interests before I apply to graduate school, and this book may prove very instrumental in guiding me toward the medieval period. It offers everything an inquisitive but largely uninformed reader could ask for-an even pace that piques the interest enough at every turn to inspire further inspection, lean but sufficiently detailed character sketches, a compelling narrative that provides minimal historiographical analysis, but enough to provoke the reader to draw his/her own conclusions... It also provides maps and illustrations, which are always a pleasant respite after mulling through hundreds of pages of prose.

One small complaint-the index and bibliography are light. This might be a non-factor, though, if you just want a thorough, solid account of an inherently interesting period of history to fulfill your personal interest. It's a good size at 700 or so pages, but I haven't come across a better overview of the first three crusades and believe me, I've been looking.

Rating:
Summary: the crusaders
Review: Very well written, provides an excellent insight into medieval man, his contributions to society and history. A goo dinsight into what was really behind the Crusades (politics, wealth, etc) vice the normal (old fashioned) intrepetation that the crusades were to primarily to free the holy land from the infidel.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful introduction to the Crusades for all ages.
Review: Zoe makes the Crusades come alive. She is historically precise, but makes the characters and personalities involved come alive with anecdotes, insights, and analysis. This book is entertaining, engaging, and suitable for readers of all ages. The author is accurate without being dry, making the story of the Crusades interesting, entertaining, sometimes horrifying, and always human. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: The Crusades
Review: Zoe Oldenbourg enthralls her readers with The Crusades. She never disappoints us. My only criticism is that she admits her confusion about the reason for the Crusades. The hostility and barbaric practices, which the invading Crusaders opposed and hoped to replace with Christian ways, are omitted. She is confused and uninformed about the reasons for these great wars. This undermines her scholarly credibility. I emphasize her gender and ethnic/cultural origins-- Russian/French female and common background-- as her limitations.