Books on Medieval Europe and Rome

(Updated 10th November 2003 to include all posts up to 9th November)

This post is a compilation of two threads detailing books recommended by the .org community relating to Medieval Europe and Roman history. I have now also tacked on a link to a thread detailing books on Japan relating to the Shogun Total War period (thanks to frogbeastegg). Each contributor is credited along with the books or website they recommended and their comments - thanks for making the effort to share the books you have enjoyed.
I may have edited the original posts slightly to fit them into a common format and some (especially those relating to Rome) are novels which may not be historically accurate, but are a good read nonetheless.

If you have books to contribute, then message me and I'll be happy to add them to the list.

Happy reading, this little lot should keep you busy for a while

BlackFireStorm.

BOOKS ON MEDIEVAL EUROPE

From BlackFireStorm:

Medieval Warfare: A History.
Edited by Maurice Keen.
A collection of essays on Medieval warfare from the Vikings forward 700 years. It pretty much perfectly covers the era that MTW and VI are set in and reveals some truths about how battles were fought and the development of siege warfare. Always readable, never stuffy, invaluable in order to get a deeper grasp of the era of MTW.

The Hundred Years War: Trial by Battle
Jonathan Sumption
Vol I of a history of the HYW, and it's a biggie. Delivered in a narrative style, it's fantastically readable (although knowledge of French and Latin would be a bonus sometimes). Sumption manages to portray the times in a clear and evocative way, first setting the scene in France and England before getting deeper into the politics, warfare and chicanery of the war. There is a second volume out (Trial by Fire) but I have as yet not read it. I also understand a third is on the way, if the authoris ever freed from his responsibilities in the Hutton Enquiry in the UK at the moment.

Saladin: The Politics of Holy War
Good view of Medieval times from the Muslim perspective, sometimes a little dry and tough to read, but well worth persevering. Essential research if you want to play a Muslim faction to the max.

From Dhepee:

The Art of War in the Middle Ages
CWC Oman
It is actually a very long essay written by a fellow of Oxford University. #It gives highly detailed and well researched descriptions of the tactics and stratgies employed throughout the Middle Ages by breaking it into three sections. #The early with a great description of the Byzantine Empires use of cavalry and archers. #The middle section describes the ascendency of the Knight on horseback in Western Europe. #It ends with the pike and the longbow. #His descriptions of all three are amazing and you can see the influence of his work on the game, especially how he delineates the various periods and the power units/regions in each. #Don't let its relatively small size fool you though, it is a demanding book, but it is one of the most satisfying.

A Distant Mirror
Barbara Tuchman
One of the defining works of medieval history of the last 50 years, IMO. #She traces the history of that apparently trying century by tying the history to the life and exploits of Enguerrand De Coucy, one of the most famous knights of his time. #The chapter on the Plague and its effects is one of the high points. #Also, her descriptions of warfare and how it changed in that century are very strong. #It is most interesting because it comes to its conclusion with the Battle of Nicopolis, a terrible defeat for the French and Christians, and one that they brought on themselves in her opinion. #It relies heavily on Froissert's Chronicles, which keeps in tied firmly to the primary source material and she is always careful to back up any speculations, assertions, or opinions with the historical record. #Definitely a book worth reading.

From Magnatz:

MODERN AUTHORS

History of the Crusades
Steven Runciman
This is a classic, both enthralling and informative. It has a very comprehensive and impartial account of the Crusades, with a lot of interesting side information.
Recommended. #

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon
Huge narrative, from Trajan times to the fall of Constantinoples. The last four volumes cover Medieval period. Historically speaking it is probably dated, but it still makes for great reading, if you can handle the heavy Tacitian style.
#
History of the Byzantine Empire
Georgije Ostrogorski
Very terse, it mostly centers on politics and economics.
Mostly a reference book, but interesting anyway. #

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
Thomas Cahill
The title says it all. Short, extremely interesting, and delightful to read (no military stuff though). Go buy this book.

MEDIEVAL AUTHORS
These are interesting to read and usually short. It is possible to find the full text online for Marco Polo and Machiavelli, maybe for the other ones too. Look out for variations in the author names, ie Rodolphus-Rudolfus-Rudolph:

The Gothic Wars
Procopius
History of the terrible war waged by Byzanthium against the Goths for the possession of Italy. This was the worst war ever to be fought in Italy, and nobody won - at the end the Longobards just walked in the devastated country and took charge. #The account of the war was written by Procopius, the personal secretary of byzanthine general Belisarius.
Lot of military info.
(Procopius also wrote about the Vandalic and Persian wars of the same period, and is regarded as the probable author of the anonymous Secret History, a defamating libel against Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora) #

History of The Longobards #
Paulus Diaconus
Fun reading material, the Longobards were undisciplined SOBs and apparently spent all their free time in rebellions and adultery. Paulus (a Longobard himself) is a capable and intelligent writer too, which doesn't hurt.

History of the Franks
Gregory of Tours
Interesting insight on the birth of the HRE, seen by a Middle Age clerk. The stories on bishops competing for miracles and relics are enlightening (this is when the cult of saints took off in the West).

Chronicles of year 1000
Rodulfus Glaber
Same as above, with emphasis on miracles and divine punishment.

Il Milione
Marco Polo

The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli


ANTHOLOGIES AND COMPILATIONS

Navigation and Travels
Giambattista Ramusio
Written in the 16th century, it is a HUGE compilation of ALL the most important books and reports written by travellers and ambassadors in India, China, Central Asia, Africa, North America ( ), South America, Middle East and Eastern Europe. To give a idea of how much it is big, the full text of Marco Polo's Il Milione is just a chapter in one of two volumes devoted to Asia #

Arab Historians of the Crusades
Francesco Gabrieli
This short antology collects the history of the Crusades, as reported by contemporanean Arab historians. Very interesting reading (my favorite is Usama bin Munqidh, who had a open mind and a great sense of humor, two qualities that were sadly missing in his western counterparts).

La Caduta di Costantinopoli
Agostino Pertusi
This one is in Italian, but I put it in the list anyway, in case someone stumbles on a English translation (I think there is a French one). The first volume is a collection of the first-hand stories written by many persons (soldiers, diplomatics, religious, historians, both Western and Turks) that were in Constantinople when the city fell to the Turks in 1453. The second volume contains letters, reports and documents #written in Europe after the news of the Turkish victory propagated, and samples of the many poems and popular songs inspired by the event. The books has also excellent notes on the military aspect of the siege (in addiction to the many first-hand descriptions in the text), city maps, and a day-by-day timeline.
This book is literally fascinating, ie expect to become ossessed with the Siege.


FICTION

The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco
The one good book by Eco, too bad the movie murdered it. As a story it is worth reading by itself, and the incredible erudition of Eco makes it a must for medieval culture buffs.

BIOGRAPHIES

Frederick II
Ernst Kantorowicz
The life and times of Emperor Frederick II. Very readable, with a lot of side informations.

From Pindar:

Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000 - 1300
John France

Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World 565 - 1204
John Haldon

Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia 500 B.C. - 1700
Erik Hildinger

Armies of the Caliphs: Military society in Early Islamic State
Hugh Kennedy

Crusades through Arab Eyes
Amin Maalouf

From Aurelian:

The Art of Warfare in Western Europe in the Middle Ages: From the eighth century to 1340
JF Verbruggen
This is a fantastic study of medieval warfare. #Originally written in 1954, the newer editions have been revised and updated, but it still holds up as one of the best explorations of medieval tactics and military organization. #This was one of the first books to look at medieval warfare as something other then a bunch of loons charging each other. #Details numerous individual battles and explains how units operated tactically. #Also interesting because the author is Flemish and uses sources and examples that will probably be unfamiliar to most non-Flemish readers.

Sowing the Dragon's Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century
Eric McGeer
This is a fairly recent work. #McGeer translates a couple of 10th century Byzantine military manuals, then provides an incredible commentary that explains in great detail how the Byzantine army of that era fought. #If you want to learn how to command a Byzantine army, this is the book that will explain it to you. #The Byzantine empire experienced a revival in the 10th century, reformed their armies, and used them to retake territory in the Balkans and in the Middle East. #A fascinating book for any wargamer, it provides a unique look at how a medieval army operated on the battlefield. #It also contains material on the Byzantium's contemporary enemies.

Maurice's Strategikon
Translated by George T. Dennis
The Strategikon is a classic. #Another Byzantine military manual, but describing the Byzantine army before the Islamic conquests. #Well worth reading, particularly the material describing how imperial forces should deal tactically with each of their probable foes: Franks, Persians, Slavs, and Turks. #The Strategikon doesn't contain the modern commentary that Sowing the Dragon's Teeth does, but the source material is essential reading. #

Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century
Kelly Devries
Another recent book, Devries takes an in-depth look at the battles of the early fourteenth century. #Devries thesis is that this was the period when infantry warfare became dominant again on medieval battlefields. #Devries cites the experiences of the British longbow/dismounted men-at-arms system, the Swiss halberdiers, the Flemish pikemen, and the Catalan almughavars. #Another book for wargamers with an emphasis on individual battles.

Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe
Bert S. Hall
For anyone interested in late medieval warfare and the transition to the age of gunpowder weapons, this is the book for you. #Very detailed analysis of early gunpowder technology. #I also enjoyed the discussion of how mounted pistoleers made medieval knights obsolete.

The Military Campaigns of the War of the Roses
Philip A. Haigh
I'm putting this book on the list because I believe it is the only book about the War of the Roses that looks at the conflict from the perspective of its campaigns and battles. #Normally, books on this subject are political/historical in nature. #By focusing on the military aspects of the struggle, this title makes the conflict much more understandable and readable. #It also makes incredible reading because each of the battles of the conflict was very distinct and involved some dramatic turn of fortune.

Warfare in the Classical World
John Warry
This is a truly great book for wargamers. #It covers classical warfare from archaic Greece until the later Roman empire. #A prime source for pictures of ancient warriors if you are interested in making bifs. #It also contains a very concise and complete political history of the ancient world. #The text is good enough that it was released in a separate version without illustration... but get the full color spectacle. #Available used on Amazon from around $13.00. #

Greece and Rome at War
Peter Connolly
The other great illustrated guide to warfare in the classical world. #Connolly focuses on classical Greece and the early Roman empire. #Very good discussion of how the legions operated in battle. #Available on Amazon bundled with Warfare in the Classical World. #Check out both.

Medieval Warfare Source Book
David Nicolle
Volume I: Warfare in Western Christendom
Volume 2: Christian Europe and its Neighbours
David Nicolle writes a large proportion of the Osprey books on medieval warfare. #Particularly those having to do with the Islamic world. #These two volumes are an encyclopedic look at the weapons, tactics, troop types and personalities of medieval warfare. #Heavily illustrated with period art, architecture and weaponry. #I'm particularly fond of the 2nd volume which includes sections on: Byzantines, Persians and Muslims 400-750, Christian Muslim Confrontation 750-1050, Turks, Mongols and the Rise of Russia 600-1400, Crusader, Reconquista and Counter-Crusade 1050-1400, and China, the Far East and India 400-1400. #Both volumes would be very valuable to anyone interested in modding MTW, or learning about the era.

From Carolus XII:

CHRONICLES OF THE BARBARIANS Firsthand Accounts of Pillage and Conquest, From the Ancient World to the Fall of Constantinople.
Edited by David Willis McCullough

THE BOOK OF THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT
Stephen Turnball
This guy actually talks about Jinettes, Hobilars, and the like.

From Foreign Devil
Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Expierence
Micheal Prestwich
Challenging many common assumptions about the glamour of medieval warfare, this highly readable history recreates the real war expierence of thirteenth and fourteenth England. #Filled with anecdotes and illustrations, it examines how English medieval armies fought, how men were recruited, how the troops were fed, supplied and deployed, what new weapons were developed, and what structure was set in place for military command -Taken from the back cover

If you at all enjoy this game, I highly reccomend this book. #Unlike many other historical books on this period, this one is ONLY about the military aspects - and not so much the events.

From Reconquistador:

Vagabond
Bernard Cornwall
This isnt so much a technical book or enclyopedia of how to wage your own crusade but its still a dam good Medieval book with several references to things in MTW. There are other books in the series, but I haven't read them.

From Russ Mitchell:
The Song of the Cathar Wars: A History of the Albigensian Crusades
Translated by Janet Shirley
(translation of William of Tudela and his successor. #Ashgate, 1996.

Am recommending for two reasons: #one, although it won't demonstrate any spiffy mtw tactics, it gives a very good idea of the way the sieges occur. #Also, it's one of the most readable chronicle translations I've read in a long time, MUCH more so than a lot of others... those of you who are looking for something that really shows the flavor of the time, and the mentalities... this is a good one.

From Furunculus:

Dungeon Fire & Sword
John J. Robinson
Book focused on the Templars

A History of Warfare
John Keegan
Britains best military historian on all periods of war

The Knights Templar: A new History
Helen Nicholson
Again the Templars

War cruel and sharp: English strategy under Edward III
Clifford Rogers
English war

Warrior Race: A history of the British at war
Lawrence James
very good, but spans all British history.

From Kurlander:

The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025
Mark Whittow

Hardcover: 477 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.25 x 9.00 x 5.75
Publisher: University of California Press; (November 1999)
ISBN: 0520204964

An excellent source on the respective period giving an interesting perspective on Byzantine neighbors such as Bulgars, Khazars, Magyars, Khazars, Rus, etc.

From frogbeastegg:

Medieval military costume recreated in colour photographs
Gerry Embleton
It is what the title suggests and is worth reading if you have an interest in medieval warfare.


Web Links:

Books on the War of the Roses:
http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbo...wars_roses.htm (thanks Magnatz)

Very comprehensive Medieval books website:
http://www.deremilitari.org (thanks Russ Mitchell)

Online Classical and Medieval Library. It contains texts ranging from the time of Homer to the Late Medieval period.
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/ (thanks Morten Viking)



BOOKS ON ROME

From Aurelian:

Julian
Gore Vidal
Excellent novel about Julian the Apostate. #Besides fighting the Germans on the Rhine and launching an invasion of Persia, Julian tried to resist the complete Christianization of the Empire.

The Antagonists (also published as Masada)
I can't remember the author's name, but this is the novel that the early 1980's mini-series Masada was based on. #Tells the story of the siege of the desert mountain fortress Masada where the remaining Jewish Zealot forces held out against the Romans after the fall of Jerusalem. #The story is told through the eyes of the Roman and Zealot commanders.

I, Claudius and Claudius the God
Robert Graves
Based on Suetonius Lives of the Twelve Caesars, these two novels tell the story of the first ruling dynasty of the Roman Empire from Augustus to the ascension of Nero. #Classics. #Turned into a BBC mini-series in the 1970's.

Belisarius
Robert Graves
Somewhat similar to I, Claudius in that it relies heavily on ancient texts. #Belisarius is the story of the great Roman general who, during the reign of Justinian, retook Africa and Italy for the empire (from the Vandals and Ostrogoths).

He Died Old
Alfred Duggan
This is the story of Mithridates of Pontus and how he defied Rome through three wars during the late Republic. #More popular history than novel, but quite good.

From Eddeduck:

Conquest of Gaul
Caesar
I'm reading this at the moment, its not a novel but Im finding it extreamly interesting to see his side. #It gives an account of the tactics of the battles as well as the political exchanges that took place. #I also find it very easy to read. #The edition I have was published by Penguin Classics. It is about 50 years old but might still be on sale somewhere.

From Motorhead:

Caesar's Legion
Stephen Dando Collins
The book follows the military career of Caesar and follows his elite 'Legio X' past his death to about 120 A.D. Very honest in pointing out where events are supported and others are mere speculation due to lack of sources.

Caesar Against the Celts
Ramon Jimenez
Just started reading this, so far it doesn't read as well as the previous history.

From Frogbeastegg:

Greece and Rome at War
Peter Connolly
An excellent illustrated guide to warfare in the Ancient world by a highly respected author. It is somewhat out of date now but it contains a vast amount of information and gives a good overview of the eras.

A history of Rome
Marcel Le Glay
This book is available in both English and French with French being the original text. The book covers Rome from primitive Italy to the collapse of the empire. An overview of the important events and characters is partnered by several sections on religion, daily life, slavery and so on. This is the best, and most informative, general history of Rome I have read.

Egypt, Greece and Rome
Charles Freeman
The title is deceptive as the book is mostly on Rome, the other two civilisations have good sections but Rome gets the bulk of the pages. Once again this is a general overview of Roman history and society and it is aimed at university level students. Several well thought of lecturers have added in sections on their specialties so you get multiple opinions on many topics.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary Third Edition
Edited by Hornblower and Spawforth
This is what the name suggests - a dictionary containing
names, dates, events, terms, and essays on topics like religion, law, women etc and at 1640 pages it is quite complete. Most classical historians have a copy of this somewhere.

The Oxford History of the Classical World
Boardman, Griffin and Murray
This is a companion volume to the dictionary and it covers pretty much everything in the Classical world. It is not the most in-depth volume I have read but it is a good read. It is also very well illustrated with photographs.

Chronicle of the Roman emperors
Chris Scarre
A handy one book reference to each and every Roman emperor to sit on the imperial throne. It contains good information and has at least one picture of each emperor taken from their official portrait busts.

From Mangatz:

Letters Of Pliny
Secundus Plinius
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, known as Pliny the Younger, #was appointed governor of #Bithynia in the 1st century AD. He catalogued his corrispondence, both with his friends and family and with emperor Trajan. The letters he sent to Trajan and the emperor's answers are expecially interesting, because Pliny had the habit to ask for approval and suggestions even on minor points of his policy, so we get to see how it was to be a Roman governor (or an emperor) in Trajan #times.
(warning: clueless people that take seriously the current Romans were evil fad could be surprised...)
Online edition here: http://www.underthesun.cc/Classic....ex.html

From Carolus XII:
All are large format and lavishly illustrated. #They are from THE MILITARY BOOK CLUB.

FIGHTING TECHNIQUES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD #300bc-ad500
Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics
Simon Anglum,Phyllis G. Jestice,Rob S. Rice, Scott M. Rusch, John Serrati

THE COMPLETE ROMAN ARMY
Adrian Goldsworthy

THE WARS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS
Author unknown...as I loaned my copy to someone

From Wisky:

Julius Caesar- Man, Soldier and Tyrant
J.F.C Fuller. Maj General(RET)
This one is a must from an authoritative figure....

From _Hector_:

The Battle that Stopped Rome
Peter S. Wells
A very insightful book for Roman civ. An excellent analyis that focuses on the slaughter of the romans legions in the Teutoburg Forest.

From L'zard:

Ceasar and Christ
Will Durant
Pub: 1944, simon and schuster; LoC#: 36-10016)

Not as religiously oriented as the title would seem. Good overview starting at 800bc. Several sections concern campaigns in different periods of Rome's history. Covers everything from the formation of the Roman empire to day-to-day life, to military campaigns of 'famous' generals. Good on general overview for all periods of rome.


ROMAN FICTION

From frogbeastegg:

All of the Falco series
Lindsay Davis
This is a series of very witty detective novels set in the reign of Vespasian. The plebeian Marcus Didius Falco is the detective (or more accurately the informer) and his patrician girlfriend Helena Justina is the other half of the outfit, these stories are well written and reasonably accurate for novels. Start with The Silver Pigs as the series runs in order from there.

The SPQR series
John Maddox Roberts
Once again these are mystery books set in Rome, but this time in Rome republic during the life of Julius Caesar. At the start of the series Caesar is just another Roman but he gradually gains power as the books pass, making this an interesting way to read up on the last days of the Republic. They are not too bad as far as accuracy is concerned and they are very enjoyable, if a little hard to find outside of the USA. I got mine (in the UK) from Amazon.co.uk

From Dux of Earl:

First Man of Rome Series:
Colleen McCullough
The First Man of Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortune's Favorites
Caesar's Women
Caesar
The October Horse

I suggest that you read them in the order above.. Domina McCullough is quite possibly the BEST fictional author I have ever read on the topic of Roman history in the late Republican - Early Imperial period... her research and attention to detail is head and shoulders above everyone else.. except for Livius, Polybius, etc...


BOOKS ON JAPAN

See the thread elsewhere in these forums at:
Books on Japan

Web Links:

From Robbie-san
Kodansha : www.thejapanpage.com
Charles Tuttle : www.tuttlepublishing.com
Bushido Online : www.bushido-online.com
Samurai Archives : www.samurai-archives.com

BlackFireStorm,

Your update includes a comprehensive compilation of references and links - plenty to get the teeth into there.

Will start with The Art of Warfare in the Middle Ages ...'

Thanks to all those who have shared this with us.

Cheers.

Taillefer.

Hey everybody http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif Been reading these forums casually for a long time, but have just now decided to start posting.

That´s a great list, I really need to get some new books and I think those will be on the top of my list Anywho, I thought I´d throw in a good book too.

[B]The Devil´s Horseman[B]: The Mongol Invasion of Europe By James Chambers.
Once I started reading it I really had trouble putting it down. It´s a thorough, but not so heavily detailed book that it bogs you down, story of how the Mongols almost took over Europe. It´s really very interesting and there´s a whole lot of info in it that I had absolutely no idea about before I had read it. Anyways, I´d highly recommend it if you´re interested in that chunk of history

Great reading list. I have most of these in my Private collection but I see a few I don't so I will have to check them out.Some others which mat be of interest are

1) Caesar, Hannibal or Alexander by Theodore Arault Dodge detailing the campaigns and lives of these 3 Great Leaders of Men.

2) Warlords by Tim Newark detailing famous warlords of the ancient, celtic and medieval time periods.

3)Medieval Warfare:A History by Maurice Keen detailing different subjects of Medieval warfare and listing examples.

Enjoy--ROCKHAMMER http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

try amazon.co.uk or ospreypublishing.com they have some of the finest collections of books especially amazon on ancient/medieval warfare around if they havent got it nobody has? been reading about the genoalogy of the mongols and the various hypothesis on there origins. back to the donghu and xiongnu. the warring state periods 475/221 b.c.
and the first great nomadic leader touman chanyu.the donghu were a loose confederation of tungusic speaking tribes. while the xiongnu were [the huns]touman chanyu led the xiongnu during the early han dynasty.the donnghu and xiongnu constantly invaded north china and forced the states of yan/zhao and qin to build fortifaction walls along their northern borders http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif
Hello RodeRidder and ROCKHAMMER. Welcome to the Org and many thanks for the contributions to our growing list of recommended reading. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

Thank You for the welcome , Gregoshi. I'm glad to be a part of this forum for such a GREAT game and hope that I can contribute in some way.... Thanks again for the welcome http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

hannibal/ernie bradford/. late roman cavalryman-236-565ad simon macdowall/. the crusades-robert payne./ warriors of ancient greece-nicholas sekunda/. twlight of the empire-[roman infantryman 3rd-6th century ad] simon macdowall/. the agincourt war- lt-col alfred h. burne/ genghis khan history of the world conqueror-by ata malik juvaini. /genghis khan -michel hoang. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif well worth a look http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

A Short History of Byzantium
- Lord Norwich

A good overview of the history of the Eastern Roman Empire from Constantine the Great to Constantine XI.

A History of England Before the Norman Conquest
- Sir Charles Oman
Covers everything from the Ice Age to 1066, but really focuses on early medieval England under the Anglo-Saxons.

The Twelve Caesars
- Suetonius

A good overview of the first eleven Emperors of Rome, and of Julius Caesar. Suetonius had full access to the Imperial archieves when he was working for the Emperor Hadrian.

Lives
- Petrach

Very good overview of a number of prominent Roman and Greek statesmen. His works on the leading lights of the Roman Civil Wars is particularly interesting. Of course, as a philosopher he tends to draw moral conclusions.

Thanks for the new book recommendations guys. Can you please ensure you include a brief synopsis of the books you recommend to give a feel for the content - a couple of sentences is normally enough - see the original post for the format.

Cheers,

BFS.

genghis khan the history of the world conqueror.
by ata malik juvaini.

true accounts from the mongol courts in persia by juvaini.
he knew personally many of the chief actors in the dramatic stories he told.
he enjoyed the confidence of hulegu.
so a book by an historian who was there and wel respected.


secret history of the mongols.

needs no introduction this one one of only two books this the second one written by mongol chronicles the first chronicle being [altan debter] the book of gold. rather awkward reading due to the number of translations persian/chinese and it was translated from fragmented transcripts of the original texts .
the text for both these books seems to have been intended for genghis khans family only.
a fact that explains the title.translated and edited by francis woodman cleaves but reads more like a story or tale than an informitive book.

both books can still be purchased as i have checked this out. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

1/ alexander the great.
and the logistics of the macedonian army.

donald w. engels
this book deals with the logistical problems faced by alexander.from the amout of grain consumed in one to alexanders march rates/ approximate troop rates from all his conquests. tables and maps.
includes all the regions countries marched through. and includes the bematists measurements.
and deals with the amount of water food consumed by the army/animals/ slaves/ servants during his campaigns.


2/ byzantium and its army 284-1081/ warren treadgold.

this deals with arms soldiers payscales estimated budgets etc has plenty maps but not read it properly yet.

3/hannibal/hard back/ernie bradford.
hannibal enemy of rome/leonard cotterell.

both books cover roughly the same story with enemy of rome tending to be a bit more specfic as regards battles./ but casualty rates vary especially cannae weres as the latter quotes 80.000 casualtys both sides?

picked all four up for 30£ from a cracking second hand book dealer/shop.







http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

http://epublishingcorp.com/articlesR...h/N-huizig.htm

Edit: made link clickable - Gregoshi
BTW, welcome Chancellor. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy (Amazon.co.uk) is also supposed to be a very good book, although I havn't read it yet http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

There, how's that for a first post http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

It on the list though, but I cant overemphasize the book of Steven Runciman on History of the Crusades.

i am lucky in the sense that there is a secondhand book dealer were i live.i picked up the first punic war[j.f.lazenby/the knight in medieval england1000-1400[peter
coss].the punic wars/[brian caven]./alexander volume one[theodore ayrault dodge]. medieval warfare[h. w. koch]. and hannibal [serge lancel]. for 50£ i have used amazon but had to wait three months for an order that said i did get the books. if anyone requires a book and does not mind a second hand copy and are struggling to get hold of a copy. i can always try this dealer and see if he has/can obtain a copy for you. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

Well, not that this has to do with Medieval Warfare, but I'd recommend

Cantebury Tales, by William Chaucer. Written in 1100ce, its the 2nd english peice of literature ever to be found, and the first brilliant peice of satire coming from the english language.

Its a great critique of the Catholic church. I love it to bits. (actually, I just got it for christmas)

http://www.abebooks.com/ this this book company has links/acsess to over 45 million books[various] http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif. and at very good secondhand/new prices to. provides links to other book dealers who sell through them for a small commision or you can deal with the vender/s direct a lot of books can be obtained secondhand or new and covers from ancient through to medievial time periods. and deals with very rare expensive examples to one that are just hard to get hold off. there are books dealing with the mongols/ghenghis attila/vandals visigoths. weapons armour tatics the muslim world/ crusades/ ancient china/ persian empire covers just about every book on the subjects mentioned from rare first editions to books out of print. if books that are not yet published better to deal with amazon or some one like osprey military publishers. but abebooks.com should cover must of your needs as regards books already in print. hope its of use to everyone.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

Some great info here. I just managed to convince the missus that we need a few new books on history http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

My order to amazon is out, ordered the Trial by fire books and a used hardcover version of medieval warfare http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

I need so little to be happy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

try http://www.abebooks.com you don,t have to buy direct from them as a lot of dealers advertise on the site.the bowman of england/donald featherstone/paper back £5.00

i like amazon but not the waiting times for books. three months for SOME i waited http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/frown.gif

Good tip, that abebooks company. They have some excellent offers, collectable hardcover books for € 10. Not exactly new but still very good. I ordered a book from them as well and will relate my experience.

If you go to this link SPQR SITE and click the ancient Rome link in the barracks you will find some very good information on Rome, there is also a section on Greece and Egypt.

.........Cali

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Pruneau @ Jan. 12 2004,08:08)]Good tip, that abebooks company. They have some excellent offers, collectable hardcover books for € 10. Not exactly new but still very good. I ordered a book from them as well and will relate my experience.

---

a nice tip .you do not have to order from abe books find out who the seller is and deal with him direct. a lot of book dealers collectors advertise on the site. so if you find the book you want just scroll down the list of seller,s and contact them direct. thus cutting out the middle man[abe books] http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-wink2.gif

Is that as safe as buying through abe and amazon? Anyway my package arrived today, but I was out, I will get it tomorrow morning, but still that is impressive, from US to Belgium in 3 days for $3.

OK I received my Medieval Warfare: A history by mail today. It was in mint condition, very well packed too. One thing that was not OK: it wasa paperback version, although it was announced as a hardcover. I'll get in touch with the seller to find out exactly what went wrong.

My book I ordered from Amazon is gonna take 6 weeks for delivery. I bet they are having it handwritten by a monk :)

attila king of the huns/the man and the myth/hard cover/mint
patrrick howarth.

ordered sunday got tuesday.can,t complain at that well done abe books http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

There is a 1999 printing of the classic medieval military book - THE BOOK OF DEEDS OF ARMS AND OF CHIVALRY by Christine de Pizan. Its quite comprehensive and covers the treatment of prisoners of war, civilian militia, siege warfare, honorable conduct on the battlefield.

Its translated by Sumner Willard (an ex- army general).

I just posted a new topic about this in the Monastery.

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook has a lot of resources that are all web-based. Primary sources from the middle ages, maps and pictures too.

Someone mentioned the Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell: It is a trilogy about an English longbowman searching for the Holy Grail: It gets pretty complicated so that's the basic plot. But there are some great battle scenes especially Crecy in the first book, Harlequin, and in Vagabond. The concluding book is called Heretic, and that is much smaller in scale but has the Black Death in it. The first book is imo the best. Cornwell also wrote a series on Arthur which is full of dark-age atmosphere and a druid-style Merlin. The guy is great on battle and always has been, but recently he has gotten really good at character... As someonewho is tolerably well read, I can say his book are among my favorites.

i have a free copy [to anyone who wants it]byzantium and its army 284-1081] i ordered by mistake it covers mainly logisticals so first come first served hopefully first reply he is english. cutdown on costs of postage i will email you than you email address than i wil post out at no cost cant be farer than that http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Heres another great book

Richard Muir - Castles and Strongholds, Macmillan Press, Published 1990.

It covers the development of Castles and fortifications in England from the ancient Celtic times to the English Civil War period.

i dont think anyone mentioned ibn fadlan's tale, the arab emissary visit with the vikings, it was used for that crichton book 'eaters of the dead', i found the book quite amusing actually, as an arab lifestyle just seemed to be a million ways different than the vikings ways, hence the recurring shock the arab storyteller kept experiencing...

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

I am doing a degree in Classics, so my recommendations are going to be based pretty much exclusively on Rome.


LIVY: THE EARLY HISTORY OF ROME

A great account of ancient and republican Rome dealing with the birth of the city, it's growth and wars with others, the ethics of Roman life, ending with the invasion of Gauls who sack the city. It's great and easy reading and there are some really memorable moments like Horatius, a single man who takes on the whole Etruscan army one at a time so his comrades can escape.

TACITUS: ANNALS OF IMPERIAL ROME

Another great (but biased) account of Roman history- this time under the empire. It details the politics and intrigue of the imperial house and has some good accounts of the wars in Germany and Africa.

ROME AND THE ENEMY: SUSAN P MATTERN

A modern author dealing with the intricate details of how Rome kept control of it's provinces, with military social economic and psychological factors all taken account of- essential reading for any empire builder

There are also some great Greek military histories around, and I recommend

HERODOTUS: HISTORIES

An account of the war between Greece and Persia, excelent on battles and culture clash. Particularly memorable is when 4000 Greek soldiers fight to the death against 3,000,000 Persians.

THUCYDIDES: HISTORY OF THE PELEPONESSIAN WAR

Account of the war between Sparta and Athens by a man who was actually there.

HOMER: THE ILIAD

If you don't know about this book, I feel like reaching through my monitor and kicking you in the face. This epic poem details the Trojan war, and is a beautiful work of literary art. It shows the creulty of warfare, the paradox of only being able to have a good life if you risk death for glory in battle, set against gods who care nothing about men. I could go on for hours, but I will spare you. But please try to read it.

Great list Nice job to everybody for their contributions.
Here's min:

Lionhearts: Richard I, Saladin and the Era of Third Crusade by Geoffrey Regan (Walker Publishing, 1998)

Excellent read which offers nice bios of the two warriors behind the Third Crusade. Recommended. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

-
I wish to add a link, rather than a book, which contains dozens of books in PDF format:

Case Western Reserve University Library

You can find several volumes of a wider English history published in 1905, a history of Roman Empire and other books not essentially related to history.

I've been printing one of the beasts for the last three and half hours. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/wacko.gif
_

Deus lo volt Chronicle of the Crusades by Evan S. Connell

If you haven't read this, go out and get it immediately and prepare for a mind blowing read. No namby-pamby politically correct nonsense here-- the man writes like he was there. Magnificent. Gruesome. Unbelievable but true.

Deus lo volt

Hmmm. Medieval warfare: A history sounds pretty good. I'll have to see if I can find it on any sites I regularly buy from.

A couple of my personal favorites are

Iron Men and Saints
The March of the Barbarians

Histories of the crusades and the barbarian invasions out of the steppes. Both are fantastic books authored by Harold Lamb. A must read.

the night in medieval england-1000-1400 mongol warrior 1200-1350/imperial chinese armys[2]590-1260 AD/the armies of islam7th century-11th centuries. all good books with nice ilustrations and maps plenty info as well. also the bowmen of england a nice paper back chronicling the longbow men of england/wales can justify why they were considered the best bowmen troops of all time. [open to debate?] http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-book2.gif

Have a look at
Emperor:The gates of Rome

dont remember the name of the autor.It was released in 2003

Its about Julius Caesar.

-
Not a history book at all but, Victor Hugo's 93 (Quatrevingt Treize) pictures an outdated medieval/feudal population on the background of royalist Vendée revolt in 1793. You have a 'good' impression ('good' according to the intents of the author) on how a feudal baron or serf would believe, think and live.

This was discussed at the COM a few weks ago, in the thread for the Childrens' Crusade.

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-book2.gif
_

I'm reading The Punic Wars by a bloke called Nigel Bagnall, reprinted in 1999 by Pimlico. It's first class on the strategy of the two empires, and pretty good at the tactical level.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (BlackFireStorm @ Oct. 03 2003,02:48)]The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco
The one good book by Eco, too bad the movie murdered it. As a story it is worth reading by itself, and the incredible erudition of Eco makes it a must for medieval culture buffs.

---

Every decent medieval history book I can think of has already been listed. That said, there's not much up there for medieval fiction. I saw the above reference to Eco and thought I would point out that he has another very good medieval book. It is called Baudolino and recounts the life of a medieval conman. Not a whole lot of military tactics in it (though there is warfare) but an enjoyable read overall. Very funny. Read the first chapter if you see it in the book store. I guarantee it will hook you.

For anybody interested in the Normans let me suggest the following:
The Normans By R Allen Brown
A good overall synopsis of the Normans, their civilization and things they did other then conquering britain such as conquering sicily and half of italy.

Harold and William By Benton Rain Patterson
This gives insight into the events leading up to Hastings in 1066 and then the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings as well. It also gives some insight into Harold's and William's lives, their families, their beliefs as well.

Knights By Adrea Hopkins
This book has some information about Norman knights that may be interesting to some, as well as a plethora of medieval paintings as well as some done just for the book. I found this book to be enjoyable and I think many of you would like it just the same.

Anyways...thats all I have for now, maybe some more later, take care all.

I don't think anyone's mentioned Sharon Kay Penman's books. Great medieval historical fiction set in England and Wales. I've read her series covering the lives of Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Simon de Montfort and Edward I: Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning. Also her work on the life of Richard III - The Sunne in Splendour, where she presents a compelling portrait very different from the traditional Shakespearean one.

She's very readable yet challenging and sophisticated. Good dose of battlefield storytelling in each, and she's good at it.

Very Interesting Rufus, I will check those, or at least the one on Richard III... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/gc-yes.gif

www.deremilitari.org

Everything you need to know about medieval warfare.

Can i suggest some great works of fiction too:

1. Colleen McCulloughs Masters of Rome series (the nearest thing to Historical Fiction Heaven that i have ever read). There are 6 books charting Romes story from the rise of Marius and Sulla to the fall of Caesar.

2. Kevin Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire' and 'Tides of War' and 'The Last Amazon' all telling of Ancient Greece c500 b.c. Again absolutely breatjhtaking in their range and ability to bring the whole era to life-the battle scenes are particularly compelling

3. Ross Leckie's 'Hannibal', 'Carthage' and 'Scipio' poetic (rather than historic) and takes some liberties with the established history but haunting nonetheless

Oh and let me strongly endorse Rufus's suggestion about Sharon Penman's books-she is my fave Historical fiction writer bar none-brilliant brilliant imaginings of a great era in English (and Welsh) history...'The Sunne in Splendour' was and is the only book that has had me weeping at the end

My only gripe with Sharon Penman is that she takes so long to write her books...... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/angry.gif

I just got this book:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Medieval Warfare: A History.
Edited by Maurice Keen.
A collection of essays on Medieval warfare from the Vikings forward 700 years. It pretty much perfectly covers the era that MTW and VI are set in and reveals some truths about how battles were fought and the development of siege warfare. Always readable, never stuffy, invaluable in order to get a deeper grasp of the era of MTW.

---

for $5 on eBay http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/tongue.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/smokin.gif

Here is one I found in the bargain bin at Borders.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Roman Empire. This is a title in the long and numerous series of Complete Idiot's Guides. This is the series that comes in an orange colored cover, as opposed to the For Dummies series that is yellow. The author is Eric Nelson, Ph.D., and it is great for reading while you are on the can.

The Civilization Of The Middle Ages (sometimes printed as Medieval Civilization) By Norman F Cantor


a very ingrossing beginners guide to medieval europe, from the fall of rome till the discovery of america, providing first as a pretext the earlier history of civilization in very brief form

its a shame so much of Livy's works have been lost to us

check this out

http://www.ospreypublishing.com

Hey, some good books to read about history, are the usborn world history books. They have lots of pictures timelines, and information on the more important events that took place during the period in question. They also talk a lot about city life from the peasant point of view and the wealthy point of view. Hope this helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]The Civilization Of The Middle Ages (sometimes printed as Medieval Civilization) By Norman F Cantor

---

Right now I'm reading Cantor's The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era. It's a look at the life and times of John of Gaunt, using him as a prism through which to view the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Very interesting, very readable, very relevant to MTW fans

Hi All,

To complement the above thread.

The following books are also excellent - both informative and interesting to read:

Dungeon, fire and sword : The Knights Templar in the crusades / John J. Robinson.

A great account of all the crusades with detailed battles and strategy as well as an in-depth look at the Knights Templars. Thoroughly enjoyable narrative.

Warfare, state and society in the Byzantine world.
Haldon, John F.

Intricate details of the armies, campaigns and tactics used by the Byzantines. Tells you about the real sizes and the truth about the Kataphraktoi and Pronoia Allagion.

A Short History of Byzantium. Norwich, John Julius

The most famous book Byzantium - excellent narration, solid facts and moving. By far the bext book on Byzantium.

Cheers

Osprey is one of the best publishers on mlitary history, and they are very interesting books.


Try the firedrake.com (books by Cicelia holland)

I'm currently reading an excellent book by Amin Maalouf. i hope it hasn't been listed (I didn't see it mentioned). It's called The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. It's very difficult to put down and rather interesting to see the non-western side of the events. Cheers http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...evalcheers.gif

But I see my favorites have already been listed except for one:

TheHeimskringla

by Snorri Sturluson (who you may have seen as general should you play as the Danes) is basically a history of the Kings of Norway done in epic poetry. It goes from the age of myth to the year 1177, linking Odin with St Olaf: history with myth. You also get to the see the Norman invasion on England through the viking eyes, and the Joms Vikings make brief cameos throughout. It reads much easier than other epic works from the same time, such as the Song of Roland. Really a must read for any serious Viking or Dane player.

Why can't we get handwritten books any more. Illuminated script is a joy to read.

I recently got my hands on a beautiful replica medieval bestiary. If you, like me, are sick and tired of the lies put forward by modern biology books, get your hands on a bestiary There's not a single mention of dinosaours, evolution or any other claptrap, and provides interesting religious links between each and every one of God's creatures and the Bible. Admittedly, not everyone's cup of tea, though ideal for someone like me, who permanently resides in a medieval mindframe :)

I am now interested in finding books on the other three essential areas of medieval science; Physicianship (human anatomy and health), Alchemy and Astronomy.

If any of you know of any translations of medieval texts that cover any of these topics, I would be grateful if you'd let me know.

Thanx http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/gc-lost.gif

Well if you are looking for some good historical novels try Bernard Cromwell's Grail Quest series:

The Archers Tale

Vagabond

Heretic

It tells the story of a young english longbowmen during the 100 years war. Great read, and really shows how devasting the long bow was.

Firstly Look at page 2 of this topic and read everything posted by sledge for info on the Hellenic and Roman periods. Essential reading.

The Middle East: Bernard Lewis.
A complete in depth history of the region, the spread of islam and the rise and decline of the ottomans. This is a masterpiece.

Anglo Saxon England: Frank Stenton
This is it, trust me.

England under the Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225: Robert Bartlett
A seriously in depth look at the culture, economics and politics of the time.

An Anatomy of Terror - Fact (Unknown author)

Not entirely based on Medieval Europe though, it explains about the Assassins of Western and Eastern Europe - the Templar Knights and the assassins of the Muslims who's only objective was to kill and die to seek a place in Paradise.

It also refers to the origins of the secret family society of the Mafia in their clans in Sicily and fending off Normans and the ways of the Black Hand trade that operated in Sicily during the Medieval period.

It talks about Saladin, being a Muslim leader who believed in mercy and respect for the Catholic faith who led an army to defend the Holy Land against Frankish invaders and how he left his merciful ways to defeat the crusaders without mercy or prisoners.

It explains about the clan systems that were around but not entirely about the Medieval period. It is more about modern warfare and terrorism and the political affairs up to modern day, set just after 9/11.

Many good recommendations in this thread, I could perhaps add a few personal favorites, but, thinking about it, I believe it may be more useful if I post references to sites where you can find a number of primary sources (and other texts) online (with my own personal impressions). Most will be to texts of the Classical era, which, considering how close R:TW is, may be almost good timing. Also, I have added a few references of web-published essays or articles which I've found particularly good and useful.

Soooo...

First of all: Perseus: Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Not just texts. You also have images (Greek vase paintings, for example) and more... As for the texts you have an english translation and an original in either Greek or Latin where you can go and make sure if pila or longche were annoyingly translated as "javelins". And you have lots of interesting primary sources: Caesar, Polybius, Appian, Herodotus, Tacitus, Flavius Josephus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus Siculus, Livy, Strabo, Sallust, Cicero, Nepos...

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu

Lacus Curtius Roman texts: Nice site. You'd find Cassius Dio's history here and, secondarily, Velleius Paterculus and Frontinus' Stratagemata. Oh, and Procopius' Secret History if you are into that... Also, Polybius again.

http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/e...exts/home.html


Forum Romanum: tons of Latin literature, some of it translated (both off- and onsite). Justin's epithome can be found here.

http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/table.html

The Internet History Sourcebook: Very diverse selection of primary sources, including useful Medieval and Classical ones

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/

The Online Medieval and Classical Library: A bunch of Icelandic sagas and the Heimskringla too. Plus Saxo Grammaticus Danish History and the Anglo Saxon chronicle.

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/

Arrian's "Array against the Alans" in Sander van Dorst's page

http://members.tripod.com/~S_van_Dor...s/ektaxis.html

And now non-primary sources:

Luke Ueda-Sarson's military history webpage. Highly recommended. Very good articles about Macedonian units, Hellenistic infantry, Alexander's tactics against the Scythians and his interest in war elephants, among other things.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda-sarson/MilHist.html

Successors of Alexander: quite a comprehensive online book on the Diadochoi. Good reading and informative...

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/bobbbennett/index.htm

Hope someone finds this useful

Cheers
A.

Here's complete online book:

A History of Aragon and Catalonia by H.J. Chaytor


The main site is called The Library of Iberian Resources Online (LIBRO) and they have numerous other online books on Iberian history.

Main site for LIBRO

Great information everyone.. To bad I can't find those in my local library.

Anyone recommend any books about the Angevin Empire?
There's one on amazon.co.uk called the Angevin Empire by John Gillingham. Has anyone read that?

In honor of RTW's impending release:

1. Corruption and the Decline of Rome, by Ramsay Macmullen. Yale University Press, 1988.

After reading this book, for the first time I could understand how Rome could have more that 300,000 men under arms at the time of the barbarian invasions and still not be able to mount a useful defense.

Macmullen traces the way in which the upper classes increasingly exempted themselves from taxation and shifted the burden to the poor and increasingly managed to move government away from providing actual services, and more and more provide a source of income for themselves. The historical parallels are uncomfortable for anyone living in the U.S. today.

Here's one I've not spotted on the list:

Rubicon - The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

Tom Holland, published by Abacus books

Absolutely fascinating narrative history of the Roman Republic and it's major players. If you want background reading for RTW I can't recommend this enough.

Emperor: The Gates of Rome
by Conn Iggudlun (spelling)
A good book if you aren't a historian (most of the stuff isn't strictly historically accurate) or an editor (apparantly there were some minor errors). Otherwise I thought it was an extremely good historical fiction novel and I believe there are two more books out in this series.

I've heard good things about Colleen McCullough's series and I can't wait to get my hands on the first book.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shoraro

Here's one I've not spotted on the list:

Rubicon - The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

Tom Holland, published by Abacus books

Absolutely fascinating narrative history of the Roman Republic and it's major players. If you want background reading for RTW I can't recommend this enough.

---

Just finished reading this, and I agree, its absolutely riveting. It focuses mostly on the period after Marius, through Sulla's dictatorship and then on to the Civil War. Anyone know if Holland intends to do a book on the Empire? The final line in 'Rubicon' about 'new generation' and a 'new age' did leave me wondering.

On to Goldsworthy's 'In the Name of Rome' next, detailing the careers of Rome's greatest generals.

may i reccomend "The Punic Wars" by Nigel Bagnall, although i havnt finished it yet it is an excellent read covering all 3 of the punic wars in depth.

Quote:

---

Emperor: The Gates of Rome
by Conn Iggudlun (spelling)
A good book if you aren't a historian (most of the stuff isn't strictly historically accurate) or an editor (apparantly there were some minor errors). Otherwise I thought it was an extremely good historical fiction novel and I believe there are two more books out in this series.

---

I would strongly advice everyone not to read this book! It's got to be the worst piece of trash I've ever read. (I'll apologise to all the members of this forum in advance. This is going to be a rant. You are warned.)

As a plus point, this book does deal with military history. It's mostly brawls, though. If you're into loads of poorly motivated, cheesy, gritty but somewhat immersive action scenes, this book may provide some light entertainment.

But do not, please, by all that's right and holy, think for one moment that anything in this book is even remotely accurate. It's nonsense. Start to finish. Conn Iggulden played cut and paste with the facts, and added a cartload of his personal nonsense to the mix. He made up nearly everything about Caesar's life in the books, and hideously distorted the rest of the period's history.

To illustrate, I'll describe the one of the worse offences Iggulden commits. You all know about Marcus Brutus, right? One of Caesar's chief assassins. Well, first of all the author turned him into a foster brother of Caesar, whilst in reality he was young enough to be his son. Iggulden turns him into some kind of kick-ass fighter, too. Secondly, he then tries to hide his identity throughout the entire book by only referring to him as "Marcus" only to reveal his full name in the last sentence of the first book.

Which brings me to another incredibly stupid aspect of the book. Iggulden doesn't have the slightest idea on how Roman names work. He haphazardly refers to some character by their first name, some by their family name and some by their nickname. (cognomen.) Caius Julius Ceasar, for example, is called Julius throughout the book. Marcus Iunius Brutus is called Marcus. Really distracting, and really stupid if you know how it's supposed to be done, but possibly not a problem for readers who are unfamiliar with Roman history.

So far the historical offenses. (This is just the tip of the iceberg. You'll love his treatment of Marius and Sulla... :wall:) If one regards the book as an alternate history or fantasy novel, it doesn't become much better.

Characters are cardboard flat clichés. Caesar is the brilliant young warrior hero who appears to spend most of his time fighting with his neighbours. No insight into his motivations is given. Brutus is the kick-ass warrior with no further motivation. Next we have the beautiful slave girl who is desired by both protagonists for no apparent reason. Then there is the kick-ass gladiator who reads like a bad parody of a U.S. marine sergeant and drills the boys in combat, nearly killing them both in the process. (Yes, of course Roman nobles made their sons tough by having a gladiator run them through with a sword... :rolleyes)

The story itself is equally poor. Everything is used as a pretext for yet another cheesy action sequence. Caesar is at home? The neighbour tries to kill him for trespassing. Caesar has a girlfriend in the city? Her father and servants try to kill him in a rooftop chase. Brutus is sailing to join the army in Greece? He gets into a fight with a shipmate, and then has to prove himself by replacing said mate. I kid you not, the ship captain places this untried boy in a position of authority just because he injured the previous occupant. Of course, he nearly gets killed during this on several occasions only to save the day at the last instant. Etc, etc.

Politics do feature in the novel, once or twice, but they are hideously simplistic and completely unbelievable, nothing more than a framework for the next combat scene.

As may be gathered from this post, I hate this book with a passion. It's the only book I've ever read that I actually cursed and hurled across the room. I'm not normally inclined to writing rants like this, and no other book could've made me spend time on this. I must also add I didn't read the second part. Maybe it's not as bad as the first. Maybe.

Either as a historical novel, or just as a work of fiction, this book stinks. Read it at your peril.

These kinds of threads are really helpful. It's a jungle of literature out there, it gets all the more easier if you know what you're looking for.

Already mentioned, I second that The Crusades Through Arab Eyes is a really good read. Amin Maalouf writes this stuff with passion, his pen is virtually glowing. It's based on Arab sources, as the title implies, so expect a lot of dirt on the crusaders.

To get the opposite view, especially on Richard the Lionheart, check out
Richard the Lionheart - The Mighty Crusader by David Miller. It's a military history book, and deals with the strategy and tactics of Richards' crusade. It has some interesting information on medieval logistics, both by land and sea.
The author also tries to give a reconciling explanation of Richards' motivation for the execution of 2700 muslim hostages at Acre.

Harold and William by Benton Rain Patterson was recommended by NormanPain, it sounds like good stuff. A good supplement to this book would be The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066 by Kelly DeVries, covers the invasion of Harold Hardraada and the battle of Stamford Bridge, wich took place only 3 weeks before the battle of Hastings. The interesting question here is wether Williams' invasion would have succeeded if Harold Hardraada had chosen not to invade, and thereby made Harold Godwinsons' life a lot easier before the Norman visit. Also has a lot of information on the two Harolds.

Moved this excellent resource from the Entrance Hall to its natural home, the Monastery, to which New (Junior) Members now have access.

"Warfare in the Classical World" by John Warry (U. Oklahoma press). See this thread for a very small summary.

I've read two books by Harold Lamb.

Charlemagne

This was the first of his books I've read and it was a very refreshing look on historical events. It's written in a style that seems as if it's a fictional account, but just happens to be in historic times. Instead, it's a factual account of even the smallest happenings of Charlemagne's rise to power and rule of the first Christian Empire. It was like I was reading a suspense story and was literally thinking "oh no! how can Charles come back from that defeat!" It draws you into the time period and gave me a new perspective on the whole situation. It also drew me to buy a few more of his books.

Alexander of Macedon

I just finished this one. I assume that all of his books are written in a style that harkens to a suspense/documentary. Though it deals with factual events and people most of it was new to me. Through all of his books he finds little tid-bits of information that are startling and intriguing and make you want to read more about these very entertaining people. I never knew the whole Alexander story - this book preaches a much different view that I used to believe - that Alexander was a commander bent on ruling the known world. In fact it turns out that he probably was just interested in exploring, and used the army to help him do that. It's all incredibly interesting.

I have his book on Ghengis Khan and I'll be purchasing his books on the Crusades and Hannibal as soon as I can. This is truly the most interesting and thought provoking way I've ever learned history. Please, at least read one of his books.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Randal

I would strongly advice everyone not to read this book! It's got to be the worst piece of trash I've ever read. (I'll apologise to all the members of this forum in advance. This is going to be a rant. You are warned.)

As a plus point, this book does deal with military history. It's mostly brawls, though. If you're into loads of poorly motivated, cheesy, gritty but somewhat immersive action scenes, this book may provide some light entertainment.

But do not, please, by all that's right and holy, think for one moment that anything in this book is even remotely accurate. It's nonsense. Start to finish. Conn Iggulden played cut and paste with the facts, and added a cartload of his personal nonsense to the mix. He made up nearly everything about Caesar's life in the books, and hideously distorted the rest of the period's history.

To illustrate, I'll describe the one of the worse offences Iggulden commits. You all know about Marcus Brutus, right? One of Caesar's chief assassins. Well, first of all the author turned him into a foster brother of Caesar, whilst in reality he was young enough to be his son. Iggulden turns him into some kind of kick-ass fighter, too. Secondly, he then tries to hide his identity throughout the entire book by only referring to him as "Marcus" only to reveal his full name in the last sentence of the first book.

Which brings me to another incredibly stupid aspect of the book. Iggulden doesn't have the slightest idea on how Roman names work. He haphazardly refers to some character by their first name, some by their family name and some by their nickname. (cognomen.) Caius Julius Ceasar, for example, is called Julius throughout the book. Marcus Iunius Brutus is called Marcus. Really distracting, and really stupid if you know how it's supposed to be done, but possibly not a problem for readers who are unfamiliar with Roman history.

So far the historical offenses. (This is just the tip of the iceberg. You'll love his treatment of Marius and Sulla... :wall:) If one regards the book as an alternate history or fantasy novel, it doesn't become much better.

Characters are cardboard flat clichés. Caesar is the brilliant young warrior hero who appears to spend most of his time fighting with his neighbours. No insight into his motivations is given. Brutus is the kick-ass warrior with no further motivation. Next we have the beautiful slave girl who is desired by both protagonists for no apparent reason. Then there is the kick-ass gladiator who reads like a bad parody of a U.S. marine sergeant and drills the boys in combat, nearly killing them both in the process. (Yes, of course Roman nobles made their sons tough by having a gladiator run them through with a sword... :rolleyes)

The story itself is equally poor. Everything is used as a pretext for yet another cheesy action sequence. Caesar is at home? The neighbour tries to kill him for trespassing. Caesar has a girlfriend in the city? Her father and servants try to kill him in a rooftop chase. Brutus is sailing to join the army in Greece? He gets into a fight with a shipmate, and then has to prove himself by replacing said mate. I kid you not, the ship captain places this untried boy in a position of authority just because he injured the previous occupant. Of course, he nearly gets killed during this on several occasions only to save the day at the last instant. Etc, etc.

Politics do feature in the novel, once or twice, but they are hideously simplistic and completely unbelievable, nothing more than a framework for the next combat scene.

As may be gathered from this post, I hate this book with a passion. It's the only book I've ever read that I actually cursed and hurled across the room. I'm not normally inclined to writing rants like this, and no other book could've made me spend time on this. I must also add I didn't read the second part. Maybe it's not as bad as the first. Maybe.

Either as a historical novel, or just as a work of fiction, this book stinks. Read it at your peril.

---

Well, I thought it was entertaining enough.

Of course you are right about the history murdered brutally, but it is kinda entertaining anyway. The kind of book you would read in the public transport.

I just finished Bernard Cornwell's new book, "The Last Kingdom". I enjoyed it. Here is a link. http://www.harpercollins.com/features/cornwellkingdom/

Online version in english of snorres Heimskringla, a must read for anyone intrested in the history of the vikings.

I didnt look into the site very carefully but seems its all there and free and available.

Heimskringla

Kalle