The Crusades [Paperback]

Zoe Oldenbourg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

The Crusades, as Zoe Oldenbourg describes them, were not simply a religious phenomenon, nor were they motivated by pure aggression. They were the result of an emotional climate which led people from all walks of life - rich and poor, saints and sinners - to leave their homes and follow the unattainable ideal of a heavenly Jerusalem here on earth. Zoe Oldenbourg evokes the whole structure of feudal society and reveals the remarkable vitality and ingenuity of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the more sophisticated achievements of the Middle Ages. Peopled with the great personalities behind the Crusades - Bohemond, Tancred, Peter the Hermit, Godfrey of Bouillon, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About the Author

Zoe Oldenbourg was born in St Petersburg in 1916 and was educated at the Lycee Moliere and the Sorbonne in Paris. The author of a number of outstanding historical novels including The Cornerstone which won the Prix Femina in 1953.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Press (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842122231
• ISBN-13: 978-1842122235
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly Work, not for the lay reader., November 30, 2000

By 

Charles C. Lowry (Montgomery, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crusades (Hardcover)

Having read this book from its French translation, I was impressed with its clear prose. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a in-depth, scholastic-minded work on the first three crusades; I would suggest another work for the lay reader, or someone without a wealth of knowledge on the subject already. The only problem is that while the work deals with the Islamic response to the Frankish invasion of the Holy land, it only takes a small portion of the book. The other trap the book falls in is an age old one for historical works: We are presented with quasi-fleshed out people, and the author aludes to great knolwledge while failing to translate that wealth of knowledge to paper. Still very informative and well worth reading. The author makes great use of period source documents, worth reading for this alone. If you can find a copy get it and treasure it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction to the Crusades for all ages., May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Crusades (Hardcover)

Zoe makes the Crusades come alive. She is historically precise, but makes the characters and personalities involved come alive with anecdotes, insights, and analysis. This book is entertaining, engaging, and suitable for readers of all ages. The author is accurate without being dry, making the story of the Crusades interesting, entertaining, sometimes horrifying, and always human. Enjoy!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Overview, October 14, 2002

By 

a grad student (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crusades (Paperback)

Upon finishing the first half of this book, I soon found myself in a university library eagerly devouring smaller works on specific periods and figures that Oldenbourg introduced to me. I am a student of European history trying to narrow my interests before I apply to graduate school, and this book may prove very instrumental in guiding me toward the medieval period. It offers everything an inquisitive but largely uninformed reader could ask for-an even pace that piques the interest enough at every turn to inspire further inspection, lean but sufficiently detailed character sketches, a compelling narrative that provides minimal historiographical analysis, but enough to provoke the reader to draw his/her own conclusions... It also provides maps and illustrations, which are always a pleasant respite after mulling through hundreds of pages of prose.

One small complaint-the index and bibliography are light. This might be a non-factor, though, if you just want a thorough, solid account of an inherently interesting period of history to fulfill your personal interest. It's a good size at 700 or so pages, but I haven't come across a better overview of the first three crusades and believe me, I've been looking.