Jonathan Riley-Smith here provides a comprehensive history of the Crusades: an account of the theology of violence behind the Crusades; the major Crusades; the experience of crusading; and the crusaders themselves. With a wealth of fascinating detail; Riley-Smith brings to life these stirring expeditions to the Holy Land and the politics and personalities behind them. His book will be the standard and authoritative account of the Crusades for years to come. This new edition includes revisions throughout as well as a new Preface and Afterword in which Jonathan Riley-Smith surveys recent developments in the field and examines responses to the Crusades in different periods; from the Romantics to the Islamic world today.From reviews of the first edition:“Everything is here: the crusades to the Holy Land; and against the Albigensians; the Moors; the pagans in Eastern Europe; the Turks; and the enemies of the popes. Riley-Smith writes a beautiful; lucid prose; . . . [and his book] is packed with facts and action.â€â€”Choice
#513602 in Books 2000-08-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .70 x 5.00 x 7.70l; .65 #File Name: 0300084935254 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A wonderfully informative introduction to Ancient Greek historyBy J. PhillipsThomas R. Martin has quietly established himself as one of my favorite historians to read. My primary interest in history is Medieval Europe; but I felt that I needed to better understand the bookends that are the Classical and Modern periods of European history to complement my studies of Medieval history. Martin's books have been an incredible help to me in quickly gaining a grasp of the history and accomplishments of Ancient Greece.In a short amount of space; Martin covers the history of Greece from paleolithic through Hellenistic times. Despite the brevity of his work; he is able to weave together a satisfying narrative that meets the needs of anyone looking for an introduction to Ancient Greek history without having to read multiple volumes. It is a great branching off point for further study of individual periods of Greek history (Archaic; Classical; Hellenistic) if one is interested. What makes Martin's work a success is his ability to organize vast amounts of information and tell history in a way that is compelling while remaining objective; honest; and free from superfluous language. I particularly enjoyed Martin's discussion of the early history of Greece from the Paleolithic through the Bronze Age (including the Minoan and Mycenean civilizations) and into Archaic Greece. The reader is truly able to see the development of Greek civilization and establishment of key features; such as the polis (city-state); that would come to dominate the Classical period. Even if one is primarily interested in Classical Greece; Martin's account remains interesting and informative from beginning to end and I highly recommend it.For those who are interested in the time periods covered towards the end of this book; I would also recommend Martin and Christopher Blackwell's "Alexander the Great: The Story of an Ancient Life" and Michael Grant's "From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World." It seems Martin has also published an account of Ancient Roman history recently entitled Ancient Rome: From Romulus to Justinian" which I look forward to reading.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. An absolutely fantastic overview of ancient GreeceBy Howard SchulmanThomas Martin's book "Ancient Greece" is an absolutely fantastic book if you're interested in getting an overview of ancient Greece; how it started and progressed and why people are interested in studying about it. At just over 200 pages of text; Martin somehow manages to cover a huge amount of information; yet keep it extremely interesting. The only shortcoming is that in my paperback edition the pictures are all crummy black and white and grainy. Additionally; all the images are grouped together; so the images aren't there when you read the associated section in the text.I'm not sure where you are coming from; but I had just read the Odyssey and the Iliad and wanted an overview in order to understand these texts better as well as snoop around for other texts to read. Mission accomplished; Herodotus' "Histories" and then Hesiod's "Works and Days"; staying clear of Thucydides because it just seems too difficult to read.Included in the text; as the book begins; is a description of the geographic characteristics of Greece and how that led to the development of individual; strong Greek city-states. Additionally; we hear about the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. The Hellenistic period; which occurs after Alexander the Great unified much of the old Persian Empire (and probably more) with the Greek "homeland" seems like it gets short shrift compared with the Classical or Golden eras; though you get just enough information to a) get excited about those areas and b) get leads for other areas to investigate.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Love Greek history and this book was a great readBy Kyah MooreLove Greek history and this book was a great read! I only needed it for school but added it to my library anyways
