A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) [Paperback]

Steven Runciman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 25, 1987

Sir Steven Runciman's three volume A History of the Crusades, one of the great classics of English historical writing, is being reissued. This volume deals completely with the First Crusade and the foundation of the kingdom of Jerusalem. As Runciman says in his preface: 'Whether we regard the Crusades as the most tremendous and most romantic of Christian adventures, or as the last of the barbarian invasions, they form a central fact in medieval history. Before their inception the centre of our civilization was placed in Byzantium and in the lands of the Arab caliphate. Before they faded out the hegemony in civilization had passed to western Europe. Out of this transference modern history was born.'

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I do not know when, in recent years, I have read a book which so enlarged my knowledge of and interest in a period of history ... It sets before us one of the formidable moral and romantic epics of our time, with scholarship and imagination worthy of it.' The Times Literary Supplement

'The three volumes ring with battle trumpets and drums, glitter with the splendor of noble parades, and are replete with true stories of bravery and cowardliness, rash daring and wily intrigue ... To the specialist (Runicman) offers a wealth of new interpretations ... To the layman, he tenders romance and suspense at nearly every page.' The Yale Review

' ... the best scholarly survey of the subject by a single author. It will always remain the first considerable work of its kind in the English language.' The English Historical Review

'One of the grand historical monuments of the twentieth century ... Written with imagination and based on immense scholarship, (the volumes) are filled with true stories of rash daring and wily intrigue as the flower of Western knighthood assaults the infidel East for God, gold and glory.' Washington Post Book World

Book Description

Sir Steven Runciman's, A History of the Crusades, explores the First Crusade and the foundation of the kingdom of Jerusalem. It is one of the great classics of English historical writing and a great survey of the time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 394 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 25, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052134770X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521347709
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must have it, October 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) (Paperback)

So you didn't like history either ? After being crammed withuseless dates and uninteresting facts about the decaying kings andkingdoms I never expected to ever pick up a history book again. So imagine my scepticism when somebody said that I "absolutely must" read Runciman's History of the Crusades...a work of history confined to only 3 volumes and enough pages to make any Russian author turn green with envy. And what a story...Runciman covers the 500 years of Middle East history with all the ingredients for a action packed thriller. The history is full of strong characters, mighty kings, impoverished adventurers and deceitful leaders. This is a tale of the clash of culture in its original form the east-west clash has its roots in these volotile times. The best part about these stories is not so much the historical matter of which they are made up but Runciman's presentation of his material. He manages an almost incredible amount of original and later sources without losing sight of his goal: a readable account of these fantastic times. The politics in these pages inspire to further studies of the period. There is nothing today which can mach the intrigue found in these pages and few writers have managed to make history come alive in such a thought provoking mix. What can I say ? I have a large library and since Runciman several historical works but nothing seems to ever reach the heights he attains or the inspiration. He is probably the only writer I feel able to read again and again without become tired in the repetition. Three volumes and 600 years defy explanation, within the covers one meets the greats like Baibers, Baldwin, the great Khan, Saladin and Richard the Lionheart and travels to the mystic scenes of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch. How can I say "must read" any plainer without sounding banal ?

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Direct and Efficient Account, October 13, 2000

By 

Bill Perez (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) (Paperback)

Western Europe in the middle ages is often depicted as a static and insular social system--and, to be sure, certain aspects of medieval history support that impression. But the events described in this fine book challenge such portrayals, showing a Western Europe in the eleventh century that was intimately involved in the eastern Mediterranean. Runciman traces this interaction back to the Roman Empire, beginning his book with a charmingly concise yet informative history of Christian society in the East. We see how alert the West was to events in Asia Minor and the Levant: I was struck by how, a thousand years ago, tourism was such an important industry. Constantinople functioned almost as a modern-day theme park--with relics, art and architecture being the big-budget attractions--and as a crucial transportation hub along the pilgrimage route. The breakdown of this tourist industry due to local political instability--and its importance to the West--is what proximally prompted the Crusades. And in the Crusades themselves is reflected the dynamic nature of medieval political history; in particular we see the restless aspirations of the powerful Norman warlords (especially their somewhat disenfranchised younger sons) played out as a key military motor of the Crusades. Reading the background Runciman gives to the Normans (Christianized descendants of the Vikings), and the Seldjuks (Islamized descendants of Turkish nomads), I could not help but notice a certain loose symmetry to their stories, and it didn't seem so odd that they would meet at the interface of the two great Mediterranean faiths. There is much that I found eye-opening in the narrative: from the murderous anti-Jewish pogroms in Western Europe that the Crusaders used as warm-up exercises, to the pathetic lawlessness of their course through Hungary and Byzantium, to the Monty-Pythonesque absurdities of the "medieval mind" (e.g., the throng of German peasants led to the Crusades by "a goose that had been inspired by God"). As an aside, while this may seem to be a very male-oriented subject, in fact a female is probably the most important personality in Runciman's work: it relies most heavily on the account of Anna Comnena, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius. Runciman repeatedly makes a passionate case for accepting her chronicle as the most trustworthy of the contemporary accounts, and uses it extensively in his reconstruction.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On The Crusades, The Best Is Still Good Enough, May 14, 2005

By 

Chimonsho (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) (Paperback)

Sir Steven Runciman's monumental study has held its appeal for over 50 years. These books have two main merits beyond the author's literary gifts. As a Byzantinist, he situates the Crusades in both European and Middle Eastern contexts, giving due attention to Muslim Arabs and Turks, Greeks, Armenians and other Eastern Christians, and he uses Eastern sources quite well. Most other histories simply treat the crusading era as an episode in Europe's development. Runciman's richly rewarding narrative combines storytelling with analysis of historical controversies. It is not a complete tale of all medieval Crusades, since he omits wars against Muslim Spain, Eastern Slavs, Christian heretics, and crusading episodes after the fall of Acre in 1291. But this "limited" focus on the eastern Mediterranean makes the work tighter and more coherent; later historians like J. Riley-Smith and K. Setton retain much of Runciman's analytical framework. Volumes 2 and 3 on the Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Acre are also superb, but they seem less novel after the unprecedented events of the First Crusade. The most intriguing alternatives on the Crusades present non-Christian views, e.g. A. Maalouf, "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" and F. Gabrieli, "Arab Historians of the Crusades." A. Oz, "Crusade" is heartrending fiction about First Crusaders' zest for massacring Jews en route to the Holy Land.