Malcolm Lambert

Well this was more than slightly out of my depth. It is a good synthesis of the research into the Cathars in France; Italy and Bosnia, the places where there is the most surviving source material. But, for me, it was too detailed in names and places, many of which were very similar. So why did I continue slogging my way through it for over a month? Partly because I am interested in the subject and partly because I am just stubborn that way. And I did learn some more about the Cathars; their beliefs and the course of their persecution.

I can see this book being helpful to people at university level. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as accessible for me. There were maps and some illustrations to break up the text but that text, in the edition I read, was in small type and densely packed on the page. I can say it would have been more understandable if there had been a glossary and a short biography of the major figures included as appendices. As it was I had to try to remember definitions of some unfamiliar terms and also which Bernard or Arnaud (to take a couple of the more common names) was being referred to.

Would I recommend it? Not to the casual reader looking for information on the Cathars but if you have some familiarity with the subject already it will probably add more to that knowledge.… (altro)