Superb, excellent writing, excellent information and eye opening. Great introduction to the Crusades as a whole. Definitely recommended for those just getting into the Crusades who will continue to read more after this book or for those just wanting to gain knowledge on the basic overview. Either way cannot go wrong with this book. ( )

A good entry level book on the crusades, it is easy to read and engaging.

The information regarding Baldwin IV is accurate but how it is written is almost like poetry. If you're reading this book for him it is a wonderful run of pages though if you want more in depth information Hamilton's work is where you should go. ( )

Although I prefer pieces that are a bit more specific, such as chronicles or books on one Crusade in particular, this is a very good overview of the sweeping conflicts that occured in the Holy land from 1098 to the 1300s. All the main players were highlighted as well as the dominating characters and events. I found Mr. Payne's narrative very entertaining and easy to read. He even brought to light a group of Crusaders that I had somehow managed to miss (or had forgotten about) in all my reading of the subject, and that was the Tafurs.
Mr. Payne obvioulsy loved high drama and one can tell that he was writing with relish about those such times. The book also contains somewhat helpful maps and an overview of the religion of Islam, something that is lacking in similar books. Everything is done chronologically, concisely, and entertainingly. A good enough book to spur me to find more of his works and read them as well. ( )

1845 The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades, by Robert Payne (read 14 Apr 1984) In November and December of 1974 I read Runciman's magnificent volumes on the Crusades. In April 1979 I read Zoe Oldenburg's volume on the first three Crusades. This is a 1984 book which covers all the Crusades, not with the historical flair of Runciman, but very well. Somehow I did not find the book consistently interesting, maybe because I had been through it all so thoroughly in Runciman. One concludes that the Crusades often did not deserve success. But it is a fantastic story,occupying two hundred years. The book ends thusly: "For 200 years, proud men from the West fought a continuing battle for the city set on one of the mountains of the Judean desert. For 200 years, princes, knights, as well as the common people suffered from thirst and scorching heat to win and hold a city in the wilderness. Then at last they discovered that Jerusalem was not a geographical place. It was a place in the human heart." ( )

Facinating book about the Crusades. Payne really brings the Crusades to life and it is a very comprehensive volume. Fairly easy read and it always holds your interest. ( )