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Title: Good starting point
Review: Payne's book is very readable for history -- for me it went down like a novel. There are moments where he assumes some familiarity with the Crusades or with 11th-century geo-ecclecio-politics, but I would still heartily recommend this book to anyone starting to read about the Crusades for two reasons.First, for a history book, of course, the key is a wide selection of primary and secondary sources, and Payne does not disappoint. From Egypt to England and Spain to Syria, he finds books, diaries and letters and incorporates it until his history reads like a story.Second, it reads so much like a story, and it's such a good story, that you want a sequel. Then you remember it's history, and so you are left wanting to read more about the Crusades and the Middle Ages. What more could one ask from an "introductory" or summarizing book?
