Europe and Islam (Making of Europe)

Rating:
Summary: needed footnotes and better bibliography
Review: First of all I enjoyed this book considerably.
It was a "quick read" Though its style is not what I would classify as that designed for mass consumption (ie dumbed down), compared to many academically oriented history books the prose is light and can be absorbed quickly.
Although this book is a survey/overview of historic interaction between Europe and Islam it is quite selective in what it actually addresses; thus, I think that it is best for an audience which already has a general (needen't be expert) understanding of the periods covered. Someone with less knowledge could certainly read it with enjoyment but might be somewhat lost unless he/she were to do a little additional research to provide the general backdrop. For example, page 3 states that "medieval authors were unanimous (although wrong) in their opinion that Europe was the main seat of Christianity, if not its only one." The author neglects to explain the factual background for this: the Middle East was still mostly Christian thoughout much if not most of the Middle Ages as conversion was not immediate upon conquest by the armies of Islam. Most people today probably do not know this and some would be perplexed by Cardini's assertion.
The book addresses many of the arenas of conflict between Christendom and Islam. Initially he focuses on the conquest and reconquest of Spain. He then moves east.
What I liked best and wherein I think lies the great value of the book is the author's constant use of specific lesser known events and facts to illustrate the complexity of the interrelations between the two worlds. It brings the history alive and demonstrates that MOST IMPORTANT lesson of history: motivations and actions are invariably complex, inconsistent (within a given group/time/place) and arise from many sources.
Commencerate with this pleasure that I felt was frustration with the lack of reference materals to enable me to follow up on learning more about the various interesting details presented.