looking for a good book on the 1st crusade

[ShadeFlanders]

Like the title says, I'm looking for a good book preferably on the first crusade or at least with a large part of the book dedicated to it.
what I'm looking for:
* description of the most important crusader lords (not just the usual big 3 tough)
* equipment of both crusaders and muslems (egyptians + turks)
* sketches/pictures of the battlefields of the most important battles (Doryleaum, Ascalon,...)
* doesn't need to have a big section covering socio-economical backgrounds
* should focus on the military aspect: strategical and tactical
* preferably in english or dutch http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Stephen Runciman The crusades trilogy is essential reading. Theres another good book but it upstairs at the moment, so i talk of that later. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[ShadeFlanders]

thx for the tip, looking at it on amazon.co.uk now

[CBR]

Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade. By John France.

I would say it has most of what you want. IMO a very good book.


CBR

[Cebei]

I agree to King of Bohemia, RUnciman is absolutely brilliant.

[the Count of Flanders]

Quote[/b] (Cebei @ Jan. 15 2004,05:07)]I agree to King of Bohemia, RUnciman is absolutely brilliant.
I'm reading it now, shame it's such a short book tough. Once it's out I'll order that John France book.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Although its short The Crusades by Hans Eberhard Mayer is quite a good read. I robbed it from school and found it interesting http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-book2.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif

[Plantagenet]

"The Crusades: A Short History", Jonathan Riley-Smith, is a very easy-to-read comprehensive account of Crusading in its entirety from First to last.

Riley-Smith also edited/compiled "The Atlas of the Crusades", featuring almost 200 "campaign" maps (including routes, battles, city maps (Jerusalem, Acre, Caesarea, etc.), holy sites, diagrams, etc.) covering every Crusade and beyond.

[Aleksandr Nevsky]

Anna Comnena's The Alexiad is a good source (although a little biased) for the first crusade, books 10 and 11. An online version of the text is here Alexiad (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/annacomnena-alexiad00.html)

[Aurelian]

I have to second "Victory in the East: A Military History of the Crusades" by John France.

Got it out of my university library a couple of years ago. Probably the work most useful for wargamers.