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Rating: 
Summary: Cru-Saddle Sore
Review: I enjoy Severin's smooth prose style and didn't find this book hard going at all as a bedside table read. I would recommend it as a true life adventure rather than a history, however, because Severin does a poor job in blending the historical facts of the First Crusade with his experiences in retracing Duke Godfrey's path to Jerusalem. For the most part, he alternates a little history with a lot of travel details--heavy on the shoeing, feeding, and dealing with saddle sores. Note to the squeamish: chapter 21 has an especially colorful description of a pony's wounds and their treatment. Severin had little experience with horses prior to this journey and in spite of a more knowledgeable companion, the horses seem to have suffered because of it. I imagine that any horseloving reader would be pretty appalled. Two more notes: the book needs maps, and Phoenix Press needs better proofreaders (there were at least a dozen typos in my soft cover edition).
Rating:
Summary: Cru-Saddle Sore
Review: I enjoy Severin's smooth prose style and didn't find this book hard going at all as a bedside table read. I would recommend it as a true life adventure rather than a history, however, because Severin does a poor job in blending the historical facts of the First Crusade with his experiences in retracing Duke Godfrey's path to Jerusalem. For the most part, he alternates a little history with a lot of travel details--heavy on the shoeing, feeding, and dealing with saddle sores. Note to the squeamish: chapter 21 has an especially colorful description of a pony's wounds and their treatment. Severin had little experience with horses prior to this journey and in spite of a more knowledgeable companion, the horses seem to have suffered because of it. I imagine that any horseloving reader would be pretty appalled. Two more notes: the book needs maps, and Phoenix Press needs better proofreaders (there were at least a dozen typos in my soft cover edition).
Rating: 
Summary: On the Trail of Godfrey of Bouillon
Review: If you are reluctant to delve into the ideological controversy surrounding the crusades but would like to know more about the practical aspects of such an enterprise, this is one book you might enjoy reading. Irish travel writer Tim Severin largely avoids speculation about what motivated and sustained the crusaders (was it greed? religious fanaticism? pursuit of fame and glory? promise of salvation? a thirst for adventure and empire building?), although he consults and cites historical sources. Instead, he concentrates on the logistics of such an expedition. How was it organized and financed? Which routes were used? How much distance could be covered per day? How did the men and the horses cope with the challenges posed by terrain, climate, food supply or lack thereof, disease and enemy attacks? To find out, he and a female companion retraced the route of Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, leader of the first crusade (1096), from Chateau Bouillon in Belgium to Jerusalem, on horseback. In their effort to use horses closely resembling the medieval war horse, Tim and Sarah settled on a sturdy Ardennes stallion and an Irish bog mare. (Alas, neither horse completed the journey). A Jeep and a moped were used as backup transportation. The team covered an average of 20 miles/day, over a distance of more than 2500 miles. Frequent re-shoeing of the horses, dealing with saddle sores, lameness, heat exhaustion and digestive problems took up a considerable portion of the time.
Traversing Germany, Austria, Hungary (where another horse was added), Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Turkey, they followed the ancient Roman road as closely as possible. After 4 months - about the same time it had taken Godfrey - they reached Istanbul. The narrative skillfully blends historical reports with the various stages of the author's progress. Encounters with hospitable and generous farmers, recalcitrant bureaucrats, wily horse traders and smugglers make for lively reading. After a winter's layover in Anatolia, the team pressed on to Syria and Israel. With 2 Turkish ponies, they finally entered Jerusalem and walked to the Holy Sepulchre, completing Godfrey's journey - and their own. Godfrey, having been appointed "Defender of the Holy Sepulchre", died in Jerusalem in 1100.
A number of color photographs and line drawings accompany the text. A serious drawback is the absence of maps: while the author frequently mentions " poring over old Ottoman maps", he doesn't show us any.
Summarizing his experiences, Severin felt he had gained " a new understanding of what went through the minds of the travellers: the fundamental change of emphasis from optimistic beginning, through disillusion, to a stubborn yearning to achieve the goal after so much affliction and commitment."
Rating: 
Summary: A sense of distance.
Review: In a world where we can hop on a plane and jet off to the Holy Land in a matter of hours the enormity of the achievement of the first Crusade is difficult to appreciate. Tim Severin set out to demonstrate what was involved in his own imimical way, by doing it. Combining good historical research with practical archeology he set out to recreate the journey of the knights of the first crusade. Follow him as he chooses his horses in Ireland and France, and sets out from the home of the very first King of the Crusader Kingdom of Jereusalem. You travel with him down the ancient Roman Roads of Europe, as he narrates how the Byzantine emperor called for help from Frankish knights in his war against the Turks, and how the response he got was not at all what he had planned. Trace the route across the plain of Hungary, through Bulgaria and into what was the Byzantine Empire, as you learn of the horrors of the peoples crusade, the depravation, the cannibalism and the impalings. In Turkey Severin meets friendly locals and impassable mountains and narrates the possible reasons for the success in battle of the Frankish knights. This is a fascinating journey that will interest any Crusade follower, horse lovers, travellers and historians alike!
Rating:
Summary: Entrancing travel narrative
Review: This is a very readable?account of an unusual journey: to retrace the steps of the First Crusade, from Europe to Jerusalem, the author and a companion followed the old pilgrim trails on horseback, the same means of travel as the original Crusader knights used. The narrative of the travel is well-written and does not fail to "grab" the reader, whether describing the many local characters and land encountered in so many countries en route, the hardships and challenges of such a long equestrian venture, or the interesting passages of historical background interspersed with the ongoing travelogue. My only negatives were: (1) the book was obviously not proofread well before going to press and printing errors abound, and (2) inclusion of a map would have helped the reader to follow more easily the described route of travel as it occurred. These quibbles do not detract overall from a lovely story well-told, and of interest whether or not you have a horsey background.
Rating:
Summary: Entrancing travel narrative
Review: This is a very readable account of an unusual journey: to retrace the steps of the First Crusade, from Europe to Jerusalem, the author and a companion followed the old pilgrim trails on horseback, the same means of travel as the original Crusader knights used. The narrative of the travel is well-written and does not fail to "grab" the reader, whether describing the many local characters and land encountered in so many countries en route, the hardships and challenges of such a long equestrian venture, or the interesting passages of historical background interspersed with the ongoing travelogue. My only negatives were: (1) the book was obviously not proofread well before going to press and printing errors abound, and (2) inclusion of a map would have helped the reader to follow more easily the described route of travel as it occurred. These quibbles do not detract overall from a lovely story well-told, and of interest whether or not you have a horsey background.
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