The Crusades (Elite) [Paperback]

David Nicolle (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1988 | Series: Elite (Book 19)

Born of a mixture of religious fervour, military ardour and political will, the Crusades ( 1095 - 1291) remain a fascinating and misunderstood aspect of medieval history. Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battlefield for almost 200 years. The Crusades raised to campaign for it gave rise to the Military Orders of the Templars and Hopitallers as well as numerous smaller orders, and were a backdrop to the careers of some of history's most famous leaders including Richard 'The Lionheart' and Saladin. David Nicolle recounts the background and events of these fundamental campaigns that scarred the Late Medieval period.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A very useful resource, especially, but by no means exclusively, in school and college libraries...these books offer very useful standardised accounts and are presented in very attractive and approachable volumes.
–Reference Reviews --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

An unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 22, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850458544
• ISBN-13: 978-0850458541
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Way too big of a task for a single Essential Histories volume., February 21, 2008

By 

C. T. Hunter "chips_books" (Gainesville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Crusades (Essential Histories) (Paperback)

This is the first volume in the enormous Essential Histories series from Osprey Publishing. If you're considering reading these books, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. If you do, please realize that this one isn't a very good representative of the series. Most of the volumes are excellent, with a good blend of detailed accounts of individual battles, interesting descriptions of historical figures, and informative information about the general setting and attitudes of the time. This volume utterly fails in all of those categories.

I'm not placing all of the blame on the author however. Osprey Publishing was simply a bit overzealous in thinking that it could cover a series of events that took place over hundreds of years in a single 96-page volume. Whereas the Civil War and Napoleonic Wars are covered in four volumes each, and World War II in six, the entire series of individual crusades is covered in a single volume. What you end up with is a very brief skimming of the overall picture and outcome of the Crusades. Hardly any time at all is spent on individual crusades, much less individual battles (which you get so much of in other Essential Histories).

Also, throughout this book the author downplays the importance of the Crusades to the people of the Mediterranean and Middle East. What he fails to adequately portray is the long-standing and powerful beliefs and feelings that these events have cast on history ever since.

The only really good part of this book is the multitude of excellent pictures, showing everything from architecture to weaponry of the time. Still, of the Essential Histories I've read, this was my least favorite and definitely the least informative. I recommend starting with others.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Cliff Notes of military history, April 2, 2006

By 

Hiram Grant "just call me Sam" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Crusades (Essential Histories) (Paperback)

The "Essential Histories" series from Osprey could easily be compared to the Cliff Notes series. They'll give you a nice introduction to a topic you are not familiar with, but no real depth. Most volumns are under 100 pages; therefore, don't expect many "man in the trenches" stories.

A nice introduction, but once again, a bit too much time period to make it one of the better books in this series. But for a 88 page book on the subject, it's well done.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre intro to the Crusades, July 15, 2009

By 

K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Crusades (Elite) (Paperback)

The text of this Osprey title merely rehashs topics that are addressed, in greater detail (and perhaps, greater accuracy) in thousands of other books. Richard Hook's color plates add a lively splash of color, and are accurate if selective in the events and warriors they portray. As others have stated - this is far to grand a topic for a book of 60 pages to attempt to discuss in any detail - this book is a mediocre introduction to the Crusades that is rescued by some exciting artwork.