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Small but impressive (Soldier Magazine )
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Crusading fervour gripped Europe for over 200 years, creating one of the most extraordinary, vivid episodes in world history. Whether the Crusades are regarded as the most romantic of Christian expeditions, or the last of the barbarian invasions, they have fascinated generations ever since, and their legacy of ideas and imagery has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. Even today, to invoke the Crusades is to stir deep cultural myths, assumptions and prejudices. Yet despite their powerful hold on our imaginations, our knowledge of them remains obscured an distorted by time. Were the Crusaders motivated by spiritual rewards, or by greed? Were the Crusades an experiment in European colonialism, or a manifestation of religious love? How were they organized and founded? With customary flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman picks his way through the many debates to present a clear and lively discussion of the Crusades; bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between past and present.
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Between 1189 and 1191, a cosmopolitan army of western invaders besieged the Palestinian coastal city of Acre, modern Akko. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Between 1189 and 1191, a cosmopolitan army of western invaders besieged the Palestinian coastal city of Acre, modern Akko. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a great fan of the "very short introduction" series, published in a nice pocketable format and covering a huge range of topics. But editor and author must take heavy blame for this impenetrable monstrosity.
As pointed out by a previous reviewer, this book was written originally for a knowledgeable audience and has been simply rebranded as an "introduction". It isn't. Not a bit of it. Tyerman races through the events of the crusades and then attempts a long and excessively detailed analysis of their genesis and impact.
I consider this rebranding act pretty poor form on the part of OUP. But looking at the text, one starts to wonder who could have found even that original work an enjoyable read. The sentences are interminable and full of incongruous and utterly preposterous metaphors. I've plucked a (believe it or not) representative sentence from Tyerman's labyrinthine prose.
"Although the rulers' rhetoric spoke differently, with popes, politicians, and chroniclers presenting a particular frontier myth of heroic conquest and battle to justify the Franks' presence and excite Western support, Outremer society, while sustained by this cohesive ideology of 'exiles' for the faith, reflected a far more humdrum diversity of experience than such crude caricatures allow."
Well thanks for clearing that up Chris.
Tyerman is writing this as a work of high literature in itself and it is writing to be ashamed of. Academic or not, and I was till recently an academic myself, the purpose of writing for others must be to explain and to elucidate. When writers resort to pretentious obfuscation one is drawn only to the conclusion there simply isn't very much to explain.
I won't give up on the v.s.i. series since I've had plenty of good experiences as well (the first world war introduction in particular is excellent). But I must register my strongest condemnation for this title, for its author (I feel quite sorry for his students in Oxford), and for the feeble work of its editors at OUP. Avoid at all costs!
As pointed out by a previous reviewer, this book was written originally for a knowledgeable audience and has been simply rebranded as an "introduction". It isn't. Not a bit of it. Tyerman races through the events of the crusades and then attempts a long and excessively detailed analysis of their genesis and impact.
I consider this rebranding act pretty poor form on the part of OUP. But looking at the text, one starts to wonder who could have found even that original work an enjoyable read. The sentences are interminable and full of incongruous and utterly preposterous metaphors. I've plucked a (believe it or not) representative sentence from Tyerman's labyrinthine prose.
"Although the rulers' rhetoric spoke differently, with popes, politicians, and chroniclers presenting a particular frontier myth of heroic conquest and battle to justify the Franks' presence and excite Western support, Outremer society, while sustained by this cohesive ideology of 'exiles' for the faith, reflected a far more humdrum diversity of experience than such crude caricatures allow."
Well thanks for clearing that up Chris.
Tyerman is writing this as a work of high literature in itself and it is writing to be ashamed of. Academic or not, and I was till recently an academic myself, the purpose of writing for others must be to explain and to elucidate. When writers resort to pretentious obfuscation one is drawn only to the conclusion there simply isn't very much to explain.
I won't give up on the v.s.i. series since I've had plenty of good experiences as well (the first world war introduction in particular is excellent). But I must register my strongest condemnation for this title, for its author (I feel quite sorry for his students in Oxford), and for the feeble work of its editors at OUP. Avoid at all costs!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Part of the continuing fascination with the Crusades is due to the belief that we are still fighting them, that they precipitated a Christian/Islamic conflict in which we are still caught up. Truth tends to be much more complex and multi-layered than myth, which is indeed why we prefer the latter. But if you would like to get at the former, Tyerman's book is a good place to start. The most important lessons are to do with scope and context. The Crusades were much more than a series of military expeditions by Europeans to the Holy Land, they lasted for far longer than the two centuries we usually credit them with, and the wars between Christian and Islamic nations had older and deeper roots. Nor are their consequences widely understood. As this book makes clear, the Crusades had far more impact on Europe, and far less on the Near East, than is usually thought.
This Very Short Introduction is actually a reprint of Tyerman's hardback Fighting for Christendom (used, cheap copies of which, at the time of writing this review, are still available on Amazon, so you might want to check that out). One consequence is that, at over 150 pages, it's longer than most in the series. Also, I think they must have simply shrunk the illustrations to fit on the page, so that you need a magnifying glass to read some of the maps.
The early chapters give an excellent overview of the subject. The later chapters, examining the impact and significance of the Crusades, and being therefore more interpretive, are somewhat heavy going at times. The author's style is good, but may be slightly too academic for some readers. And he is occasionally prone to colourful moral judgments, such as when he talks of Himmler's 'historically illiterate ghouls' relying on 'rancid imagination'. I may well share this view, but I will arrive at it myself, thank you very much.
This remains an excellent introduction to a hugely important subject, and is a worthy addition to the series.
This Very Short Introduction is actually a reprint of Tyerman's hardback Fighting for Christendom (used, cheap copies of which, at the time of writing this review, are still available on Amazon, so you might want to check that out). One consequence is that, at over 150 pages, it's longer than most in the series. Also, I think they must have simply shrunk the illustrations to fit on the page, so that you need a magnifying glass to read some of the maps.
The early chapters give an excellent overview of the subject. The later chapters, examining the impact and significance of the Crusades, and being therefore more interpretive, are somewhat heavy going at times. The author's style is good, but may be slightly too academic for some readers. And he is occasionally prone to colourful moral judgments, such as when he talks of Himmler's 'historically illiterate ghouls' relying on 'rancid imagination'. I may well share this view, but I will arrive at it myself, thank you very much.
This remains an excellent introduction to a hugely important subject, and is a worthy addition to the series.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Tyerman's The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction was not, in fact written to be a very short introduction, and was first prublished as "Fighting for Christendom" in 2004. This is where the problem seems to lie. Repackaged as a VSI, it attracts new and general readers who expect it to be what it says on the cover. They then have to battle with this overly-academic text. I am sure this book is perfectly brillant in itself, but it doesn't really work as a very short introduction. The writer asumes, fairly enough as it seems he didn't know it would become a VSI, a good knowledge of medevial history, academic terms and world geography. This clearly alienates some, like me, who thought it would be a much simpler read as the title suggests: easing you in, rather than jumping in head first.
However, the books is still actually really quite good. Speaking as someone who knows next to nothing about medevial history and is not familar with every academic term under the sun, the book was still very informative and interesting. There is no doubt if you are like me you will sometimes have to battle with paragraphs to grasp meaning, but somehow things did fall into place. Tyerman is clearly an expert who makes some very intriguing points in historography, seeking to dispell misconceptions, as a result of what must be extensive research and a genuine interest for the topic. Let's put it this way: criticism aside, I can't deny I enjoyed reading it.
Difficult, not exactly a very short introduction, but most definitely good.
However, the books is still actually really quite good. Speaking as someone who knows next to nothing about medevial history and is not familar with every academic term under the sun, the book was still very informative and interesting. There is no doubt if you are like me you will sometimes have to battle with paragraphs to grasp meaning, but somehow things did fall into place. Tyerman is clearly an expert who makes some very intriguing points in historography, seeking to dispell misconceptions, as a result of what must be extensive research and a genuine interest for the topic. Let's put it this way: criticism aside, I can't deny I enjoyed reading it.
Difficult, not exactly a very short introduction, but most definitely good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Highly recommended
Everything as described, well packaged, content of book was exactly as required. Arrived as stated in e-mail. Quality of service was excellent.
Published 7 months ago by Neverstoplearning
Does exactly what it says on the cover!
I am starting a moudle at uni on the crusades and wanted to get some background on the subject before starting in depth study. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dewdrop
An interminable Introduction
I purchased this title expecting, as it says on the cover, a short introduction to the crusades; an overview of the wars with possibly some academic insight into their principal... Read more
Published on 7 July 2008 by P. M. Buttigieg
Fascinating and surprisingly comprehensive
I am a big fan of the idea behind the Very Short Introduction series, and the way in which they provide information in an easily accesible manner with plenty of scope for further... Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2007 by The Wanderer
heavy going!
this is not what i expected from an 'introduction' to the crusades, and i'm not exactly sure who its written for.
firstly, there is the content. Read more
firstly, there is the content. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2007 by king los
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