Can anyone suggest a good book(s) about The Crusades?

I haven't read this one yet but I am a big fan of Kelly DeVries.

Battles of the Crusades

Sir Steven Runciman has a 3 volume history of the Crusades that is probably 40 years old & still one of the best out there.

I've got quite a few books on the Crusades that I'll add to the "Official History Book" thread soon.

Thanks guys!

I'm currently reading "The Dream and the Tomb" by Robert Payne.

I'm not liking it very much. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and just trying to finish it.

Has anyone read any of Stephen Lawhead's books like "The Iron Lance"?

Worth reading?

Can anybody cite a READABLE book about the Crusades that is NOT one long pro-muslim/anti-Christian whine? Siding with the muslims seems to be the trendy outlook on the Crusades lately.

I was going to suggest The Crusades: The World's Debate, by Hilaire Belloc, but since you put "readable" in all caps, I assume you've already tried it.

Runciman's three volumes is very easy to read; he was a great story teller. There are academic treatments that are more up to date but his is still the best read for a newcomer to the subject. Sort of like Fehrenbach, he's a better writer than historian but unless you are going to be a medieval history expert, he's the place to go.

Dungeon, Fire & Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades

Brazos Bend