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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
I'd say "accessible" is the best way to describe this book—and that can be good or bad, depending on what you're looking for. If you already know something about the Crusades, this book seems unlikely to add to your knowledge.
adventurous
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informative
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medium-paced
I picked this book off the stands at a second hand book shop. Written for people like me, with a small amount of knowledge about medieval history, it ticked all of the boxes. It introduced me to new characters and events as if I'd never heard of them before (most of which I hadn't) and used language that didn't create a barrier between me and the purpose of the text. I'll be on the lookout for more Asbridge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
adventurous
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informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
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slow-paced
Great insight into the first crusade, offering a wide array of perspectives not always identified by other historians
Asbridge is himself an academic, but in The First Crusade he is writing firmly in the popular history mold. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and as an introduction to the topic it's quite serviceable. He covers the main points of the First Crusade—which took place from 1096 to 1099—at a fast clip and with an eye for an engaging anecdote. I found some of his introductory and concluding analysis a little overblown, however, and with a tendency to make claims that I couldn't quite buy into, seemingly for the sake of sounding more dramatic or academically sexy. (Also, the sooner that popular history books stop using the word 'feudal', the easier that historians' jobs will be.) For my taste, the focus of the book was also a little too much on military history at the expense of the social, cultural and religious upheaval occasioned by the Crusades. Still, I'd recommend the book to a layperson looking for a place to start on the subject but isn't quite willing to face Runciman.
adventurous
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funny
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inspiring
tense
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informative