Alfred J. Andrea is emeritus professor of medieval history,
the University of Vermont.
Andrew Holt is associate professor of history, Florida State
College at Jacksonville.
"I never imagined that my Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest,
first published in 2003, would prove to be so enduring a format for
helping students of all kinds to rethink key moments in human
history. It is therefore a great honor to see that the book has now
inspired Hackett Publishing Company's "Myths of History" series,
expertly and effectively edited by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew
Holt."
—Matthew Restall, Pennsylvania State University
"Andrea and Holt's timely, readable, and informative book will
hopefully go a long way towards combating some of the myths of the
crusades that still circulate in the twenty-first century. . . .
[Their] introduction is a real gem and one might wish that more
books on the crusades for popular audiences had introductions so
useful for situating readers. . . . The contributions strike a
balance between presenting the complexity and messiness of the
historical material with giving readable and coherent accounts. . .
. This is an excellent and useful volume."
—Lucas McMahon, Princeton University, in Comitatus
"Seven Myths of the Crusades' rebuttal of the persistent and
multifarious misconceptions associated with topics including the
First Crusade, anti-Judaism and the Crusades, the crusader states,
the Children's Crusade, the Templars and past and present
Islamic-Christian relations proves, once and for all, that real
history is far more fascinating than conspiracy theories,
pseudo-history and myth-mongering. This book is a powerful witness
to the dangers of the misappropriation and misinterpretation of the
past and the false parallels so often drawn between the crusades
and later historical events ranging from nineteenth-century
colonialism to the protest movements of the 1960s to the events of
9/11. This volume's authors have venerable track records in
teaching and researching the crusading movement, and anyone
curious about the crusades would do well to start here."
—Jessalynn Bird, Dominican University, co-Editor
of Crusade and Christendom
"There has long been a great need for a book like this one, and it
deserves a wide dissemination among the interested reading public
and journalists as well as students and professional historians. It
draws on much of the best and most recent scholarship on diverse
aspects of crusading, but is still written in an accessible style.
It should certainly be included in any reading list for an
undergraduate course on the crusades, and anyone intending to make
judgmental pronouncements on the aims and character of crusading
would do well to read it and reflect carefully before rushing into
print."
—Alan V. Murray, University of Leeds
"Andrea and Holt's Seven Myths of the Crusades provides a
valuable introduction to Crusades mythology. The collection covers
some of the most important and most widely debated issues in
crusading studies and will prove highly useful, particularly to
undergraduate students and to non-academics with an interest in
crusading history."
—Meriem Pages, Keene State College, in Speculum
"Written in a clear and accessible style, this volume rests
on an impressive scholarly base supported by peer-reviewed research
and up-to-date sources cited in abundant footnotes on almost every
page."
—G. G. Guzman, Bradley University, in CHOICE
"Few historical labels carry such an emotional charge as that of
'crusade'. It is a word used both thoughtlessly and polemically,
often by public figures with little understanding of the events or
by those with a vested interest in the misrepresentation of both
motives and outcomes. Professional historians have a duty to
redress the balance, and the essays collected in this important
book tackle fundamental issues ranging from the place of the
crusades in relations between Islam and the West to their long-term
influence on the development of anti-Semitism."
—Malcolm Barber, Emeritus Professor of History, University of
Reading, UK.
"Crusade historians frequently lament the wide gulf that separates
modern scholarship from popular beliefs regarding the holy wars of
the Middle Ages. In this lively book a group of those scholars
tackle seven of the most intractable myths that obscure our view of
the crusades. With erudition, energy, and a dose of humility this
book makes the case that solid historical research brings us ever
closer to historical accuracy—and that matters. The myths of the
crusades may be legion, but breaking down seven of them is an
excellent place to start."
—Thomas F. Madden, St. Louis University
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