Rating: 
Summary: A decent history of the Order.
Review: A fairly well done text on the Order. There is some excellent information tucked away in this book. Unfortunately is is obscured by a slighty confusing lay out. The reward is worth the effort though. This is best described as a good companion piece for other Templar research sources.
Rating:
Summary: My mom's poundcake; heavy, dry and tasty when swallowed.
Review: From the onset the true adventure of the book is if the reader can avoid the pitfalls of Orpheus' sleepy ways, while trying to manage the esoteric terrain Malcolm puts forth. Beyond this though the book is the final source for information on the ill-fated Order. Malcolm's objectivity is his forte; it leaves the reader to assess moral value to the barbacity of the Normans, Seljuks and Fatimids. I liken Malcolm to a cousin of mine who I watched sporting events with and could never tell what side he was on. I guess thats what a reader should do.bascharf@ix.netcom.co
Rating:
Summary: The New Knighthood is a fine book.
Review: I found The New Knighthood to be a well researched, succinct and very readable book. The author is carefull to walk the fine line between popular non-fiction and scholarly research works. Copious information is presented in a manner that while complex is seldom dull and never boring. Of its 420 pages 104 are of notes and sources. The typeface is readable and the paper quality is so-so. If you must have only one book on the knights of Christ I think you could do worse than this one. Don't choose poorly.
Rating:
Summary: The New Knighthood is a fine book.
Review: I found The New Knighthood to be a well researched, succinct and very readable book. The author is carefull to walk the fine line between popular non-fiction and scholarly research works. Copious information is presented in a manner that while complex is seldom dull and never boring. Of its 420 pages 104 are of notes and sources. The typeface is readable and the paper quality is so-so. If you must have only one book on the knights of Christ I think you could do worse than this one. Don't choose poorly.
Rating: 
Summary: The definitive Templar book
Review: I have not yet read the new Templar history by Helen Nicholson, but until I do this book stands as the best one ever written about the Knights Templar. I have written quite a bit about them myself (they were the topic of my honors thesis at Cornell University) and so have read about every relevant source on them.
"The New Knighthood" is clear, well-written, and very well-researched, covering the inception of the Order in 1119 to its suppression in 1307. Barber sticks to the best historical sources and covers the topic from head to toe, a much needed historical overhaul for the Templars, in my opinion, because their name has become so ridiculously intertwined with myths and legends of all sorts that the actual history of the Order is often completely obscured. This is sad given their enormous importance in the Holy Land during the crusader period and the innumerable legitimate questions we might investigate concerning them.
A warning to would-be delvers into supernatural research: There is a chapter that covers the "mysterious" rumors surrounding the Order in this book, but it is based in sources accepted by the scholarly world as legitimate, i.e., you won't find much here to support theories of secret treasure, devil-worship, the guardianship of the holy grail, etc. Don't scoff at that: scholars have painstakingly researched the origins of all the sources that come to light. They of all people should know what is close to fact and what is not, certainly more than many of these low-rent, legend-peddling hucksters that have written about the Templars over the past thirty years. The interest of the scholar and professor is to inform you, the interest of many of these other writers is to cash in on curiosity about "secret societies" and make a quick buck at your expense. When looking for a book on the Templars, pay attention to the pedigree of the author-- what do they do/ What's their education?
If you're really interested in the history of the Order, this book is one of the very, very few worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: Detailed, but so dreary!
Review: One reviewer calls this book "readable." Yes, it's in English! Sadly, I took "readable" to mean that it provided some sort of entertainment value. Absolutely wrong! This book is a pure text book, scholerly & detailed, certainly, but also dull & dreary. Suitable, perhaps, for a medievil history major in need of masses of names & dates. All that information is certainly there, together with an enormous amount of those annoying numbered references attached to, what seemed to be, every 25th word in the body of the text. My recommendation is, that if you're looking for an account of the Templars that can truly be described as "readable," then you should be looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Full of facts but too scholarly for
Review: This book is a good source of information for the serious student. If you have a good knowledge of medieval and crusade history then this book will trace the order of the Templars through all the political, military and ideological contexts that the order existed in. It will provide you with sources and chronologies and will explain what the Templars did, why they were such an important force and how exactly they were able to achieve what they achieved.If you're not familliar with the background, like me, you'll probably find this a hard read. The book reads like a textbook, peppered with footnotes, dates and places which obfuscate if they're totally unfamilliar. For me, it felt like much of the text was going in one ear and out the other. The book's chapters fall into two categories. The first half is more chronological referring to the history of the Templars. The second half is more topical, to do with aspects of Templar life (their network, social structure and beliefs), as well as a description of the Templars in the popular imagination. For someone being introduced to the Templars, the second half will be much more interesting and accessible. For history buffs, the first half will be very informative. If you're looking for a detailed, scholarly account, this is the book. If you're a layman seeking an introduction, go elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive history of the Templars
Review: This books chronicles the history of the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon from their founding to their supression and down to the present day. Along with Templar history, Professor Barber provides us with detailed looks at the daily lives and commercial activities of these legendary knights of Christ. It would be difficult to imagine a history of the Templars done any better than this. Barber's tone is judicious and restrained and, unlike far too many writers on this subject, does not get carried away. And he neatly demolishes all the survival myths and secret society stories that have grown up around the Templars. An essential book.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive history of the Templars
Review: This books chronicles the history of the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon from their founding to their supression and down to the present day. Along with Templar history, Professor Barber provides us with detailed looks at the daily lives and commercial activities of these legendary knights of Christ. It would be difficult to imagine a history of the Templars done any better than this. Barber's tone is judicious and restrained and, unlike far too many writers on this subject, does not get carried away. And he neatly demolishes all the survival myths and secret society stories that have grown up around the Templars. An essential book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful!
Review: This is an absolutely wonderful book for anyone at all interested in The Templars. This is a full and original work of research that covers every detail you can imagine about The Templars. If I must chose something that detracts from the over all feeling of the book is the chapter called The Templar Network as this is a rather dry account of the manors and so on throughout the Continent and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. If you do chose to read this book I would recomment skipping most of the chapter mentioned above until Barber starts talking about the Templar network as a reliable bank for kings and popes alike. I highly recommend this book!
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