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The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
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Publisher's Summary
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history. From Richard the Lionheart to the mighty Saladin, from the emperors of Byzantium to the Knights Templar, Asbridge's book is a magnificent epic of holy war between the Christian and Islamic worlds, full of adventure, intrigue, and sweeping grandeur.
Critic Reviews
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While history is by definition the study of the past, no subject tells us more about the present, or is as exciting to follow in contemporary times. The range of subgenres within history writing is huge. Some authors cover a massive scope, while others zoom in to examine tiny, overlooked elements in a new way. Unlike your history class of old, these selections don’t demand memorization of names and dates. Read on for the best in our catalog.
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What listeners say about The Crusades
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tad Davis
- 10-04-16
Comprehensive
There are a few topics that get short shrift in Asbridge's account, like the Albigensien Crusade and the People's Crusade. But if you want a comprehensive history of the wars fought in the Middle East, he's your guy. Asbridge writes with great narrative pace without sacrificing detail; he clarifies both the complex political history of Outremer and the moment-by-moment action of the great battles and sieges. The story is filled with great personalities - Saladin, Richard Lionheart, the sad Louis King of France, the brutal Baybars. A final chapter reflects on how the crusades have been used as reference points in later history. Derek Perkins' reading is brisk and interesting.
106 people found this helpful
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- T. Anderson
- 09-24-16
Learned more from this than in the past 60 years.
This book taught me more than just about any other historical piece I have read. It manages to masterfully put the Crusades in a format that shows the personalities on both sides that created the political conditions that fueled the hundred years of violence between two competing religions, philosophies and political systems for dominance of Palestine and its religious sites, holy to both sides.
81 people found this helpful
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- Alnico Cunife
- 05-20-18
Get an old map
I really enjoyed this book!. I did need an old (Time/year specific) map to really understand where the countries/cities were and their relationships to where people traveled. The first few hours of listening were a little difficult as the names were 'new" to my ears. After reviewing a map and understanding the names the book became a GREAT listen. Understanding who and why from most sides of 200+ years of Duking (pun intended) it out. We really never learn from the past, just relive it thinking we are better and smarter. I am glad I did not live beck then as life was very much harder than listening to true stories on a cruise ship.
32 people found this helpful
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- Rick
- 09-08-16
A Thorough Look
A very interesting listen. Nice job connecting the history of the Crusades with other events going on, both at the time of the Crusades as well as since.
38 people found this helpful
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- Ethan
- 11-30-17
Informative but vague on details.
Great if you want a series of events with a timeline but lacks in depth events and detail. I also felt the author was bias in his opinions on certain events against the Latin crusaders. It came off more as a history and evolution of Islam and the Middle East during the crusades rather than a History of the Crusades.
22 people found this helpful
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- Mike Shade
- 08-06-18
A comprehensive window into the past
This book takes the listener back in time to the period of the great Crusades into the Holy land. Told from both sides of the story, it links these events into todays chaotic Middle East, and gives perspective into one of the basic causes for the Protestant Reformation a few centuries later. Derek Perkins handles the Arabic names with ease and his delivery is first rate. Of particular interest to me was the telling of the story of the Mongol invasion and how they were blunted by the Muslim world in the Middle East.
All in all a great listen for those who want to get deep into this topic to understand its causes and effects.
9 people found this helpful
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- Ryan Hobbs
- 03-27-17
Solid and objective history with minor innacuracie
Really good, with well researched and objective content. However, there are a few small problems. The author gets the characteristics of European arms and armor completely wrong. He says that mail was very poor armor, when in fact it is very effective, taking tremendously powerful hits and keeping the wearer safe. His view of European swords is also wrong, viewing them as crowbars rather than the agile weapons they truly are. This shows a disturbing lack of personal research of the primary sources. All one has to do is read contemporary accounts and handle accurate reproductions to know how wrong this segment was.
Also, the author consistently mentions different units of currency throughout the book but with no comparison of the currency or what a unit of the currency was worth. This information might be in the physical book.
41 people found this helpful
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- J. Newhouse
- 11-22-17
Very good, but...
Performance is superb and research, storytelling, and putting it all together are very well done. Opened my eyes to a new viewpoint on pre-crusades and arguments on whether or not Muslim aggression sparked the crusades. Didn’t really care for the ending. Author felt he needed to do a little Bush bashing. He always strives to give context to Islamic actions, but isn’t willing to be that generous for contemporary Western actions. Should’ve and could’ve just left that whole part out.
82 people found this helpful
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- SS
- 02-28-17
Profound Narrative with Modern World Impact
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I have recommended this audiobook to friends, who like me, appreciate in-depth research presented authoritatively in easily-digested narrative.
What did you like best about this story?
I enjoyed the detailed accounts of the actors, attitudes, motivations and locations of the events we know as the Crusades, presented from Western AND Muslim points of view.
What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Derek Perkins' proper pronunciation helped greatly in my understanding of the material as I followed his narration in the hard-copy book. His pronunciation of French and Arabic names aided in a more thorough understanding of the historic figures and Middle Eastern locations of the Crusades.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Though this book provoked no extreme reactions like laughter or tears, I came away with a feeling of complete satisfaction for having spent the time listening to the accounts of a two hundred year span of human history.
19 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 04-21-19
Blatant Bias
Anti-European bias is plain with unnecessary excerpts about the Crusaders, while painting Islam as flawless.
48 people found this helpful