The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades
Robert Payne has woven a glittering tapestry of a period when splendour vied with baseness, piety with greed, courage with folly. Here is an exquisitely wrought saga of the medieval world that tells of the clash between East and West at a time when religious fervour was widespread and the possession of an ancient sepuchre mattered most in the lives of men. -- (from blurb on dust jacket of UK edition)
"Robert Payne infuses this exceptional history with the energy, the pulse, and the vivid characterizations of a novel."--LA Times
"Magnificent. Recreates the two hundred years of Crusader history with a blazing intensity that exhibits to the full his powers as both scholar and storyteller....A major contribution to our understanding of the Middle Ages. Marvelous reading."--Publishers Weekly
"Excellent ... Payne at the height of his powers ... Payne's book is must reading." Washington Post Book World
"Like Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror," Robert Payne's book offers a portrait of the medieval mind ...Truth is stranger than fiction, and there are enough plot twists to keep even John le Carre fans on the edge of their seats."--Gannett Westchester Newspapers
"The Dream and the Tomb examines the eight holy wars that took place between 1095 and 1270, exploring both the political desires of the princes and the sufferings of the ordinary people. With the understanding and depth of the author, these rich and memorable details bring the past to life." --History Magazine
"High quality. Splendidly readable."--The Boston Globe