The Crusades: The Flame of Islam

The Whole Story of the Crusades

by Harold Lamb

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Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Religion, Islam, European History, Middle East

489 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Harold Albert Lamb was an American historian, screenwriter, short story writer, and novelist.

Born in Alpine, New Jersey, he attended Columbia University, where his interest in the peoples and history of Asia began. Lamb built a career with his writing from an early age. He got his start in the pulp magazines, quickly moving to the prestigious Adventure magazine, his primary fiction outlet for nineteen years. In 1927 he wrote a biography of Genghis Khan, and following on its success turned more and more to the writing of non-fiction, penning numerous biographies and popular history books until his death in 1962. The success of Lamb's two volume history of the Crusades led to his discovery by Cecil B. DeMille, who employed Lamb as a technical advisor on a related movie, The Crusades, and used him as a screenwriter on many other DeMille movies thereafter. Lamb spoke French, Latin, Persian, and Arabic, and, by his own account, a smattering of Manchu-Tartar.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Farhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

অনুবাদ নিয়ে বললে--শওকত হোসেনের মত উঁচু মানের অনুবাদকের কাছ থেকে এরচেয়ে অনেক ভাল কাজ আশা করি। মনে হলো প্রথম ১০০ পৃষ্ঠা যত্ন নিয়ে অনুবাদ করেছেন; এরপর থেকে তার ধৈর্য্য কমতে কমতে শেষদিকে গুগল ট্রান্সলেটর দিয়ে কাজ সেরে দিয়েছেন।
বই নিয়ে বললে--ক্রুসেড নিয়ে আমার পড়া সবচেয়ে বায়াসড বই। বিস্তারিত না গিয়ে একটা উদাহরণ দিলেই হয়; এমনকি লুটেরা খুনে হিসেবে পরিচিত কিছু ক্রুসেডারদের বেলাতেও 'সাহসী, বীর, মহান, নিবেদিতপ্রাণ' ধরণের বিশেষণ ছাড়া কথাই বলেন নি, আর মুসলিমদের মাঝে সালাদিনকে খানিকটা ছাড় দেয়া হয়েছে, বাকি সবাই বর্বর, হানাদার (নিজের দেশে মানুষ কিভাবে হানাদার হয় কে জানে!) ইত্যাদি। যুদ্ধে পরাজিত ক্রুসেডারদের দুর্দশা অনেক বিতং করে বলা হয়েছে, কিন্তু যাদের দেশে তারা হানা দিয়েছিল তাদের দুর্দশা নিয়ে তিনি একেবারেই উদাসীন। এই লোকের ইতিহাস নিয়ে লেখার জন্য বিশ্বজোড়া নাম আছে, কিন্তু এরকম বায়াসড লোকজনের দিকে জোর করেও শ্রদ্ধা আনা কঠিন।

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Crusades: The Flame of Islam
Harold Lamb
Read it in mega-old Hardcover, they don't make books like this anymore with their own bookmark and all at 489 page including biblio+appendix

This is an old book. It was originally written before the outbreak of World War II. It's written in that old timey way that can make history more of a story in tune with fiction than the raw facts that generally proliferate non-fiction works today. Not to say it isn't a factual tomb, though by now it is dated and in other areas no longer factual, as it is sourced. Some of those sources are from the 19th century though. While maybe not wholly accurate anymore its core is certainly up to snuff.

This is actually the second in a two part series detailing out the Crusades. The first aptly named Iron Men & Saints which details out the First and Second Crusades while this one follows the rise of Saladin and eventual downfall of the Catholic Kingdom in the Levant and then focuses on the fall of the Byzantine Empire culminating in the final sack of Byzantium by the Ottomans and the development of what would become Istanbul.

This was recycled information for me and to anyone that is interested in this topic I would actually suggest Tyerman's hefty tomb of God's War or any of Asbridge's efforts especially his on the First Crusade. One thing I really liked about Lamb's set is that he was actually able to go visit most of the sites in Syria before they got their world heritage status, before the middle east become so opposed to Western tourism. The result is that he often got to meander around ruins of great castles without anyone to bother or threaten him. The depictions he gives is stellar for these fortifications and at the back he gives a decent chunk to explaining what he saw which is invaluable to someone who wishes they could go but will probably never get the opportunity.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great historical fiction. Good read. Recommended

[نزار شهاب الدين · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book provides a lot of details about the crusades and an objective stand generally, there are some grave mistakes about Islam and its rules, both by the author himself or by those whom he quoted without correction. I am not speaking here out of bias. If I didn't want to know the non-Muslim version of the story I wouldn't have read this book in the first place. I am just drawing the attention of other readers that most of you will read about Islam in this book is wrong.

A word on the narration, since I listened to the audio book, Charlton Griffin does not fail to amaze me with his superbly rich and flawless reading. I just wish that the book had offered him a better guide to pronouncing Arabic words. That would have spared him some unnecessary, and unavoidable in his case, mistakes.

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative and the author tried to capture the sco-economic along with political scenario of both the sides.

[C Ervin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2nd volume of Lamb's coverage of the Crusades picks up a few generations after his first with the start of the 2nd crusade. All of the other major crusades are covered in great detail. Lamb's retelling of Richard the lion heart's bold and daring feats during the 3rd crusade gave me a new appreciation for the adventurer king. I was also pleased to see Lamb write about the crusades inside of Europe.
I believe both volumes of his work on the crusades should be viewed as a single comprehensive work and should be read back to back. As in the other works I've read by Lamb, he brings history to life with his vivid prose and detail of set piece battles. Lamb has become one of my go-to authors for non-fiction. Certainly a highlight for my reading year of 2024! My only issue is that he skipped over Baldwin the 4th short but exciting rule of Jerusalem and started the book right at his death.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am only partway through this highly entertaining account of the Crusades, as told from the Muslim point of view, as imagined by a Westerner. Think about the above paradox for half a minute and you will understand my mixed feelings about this book. It's great fun, but guilty fun, as I can't help feeling that many of the facts which keep burning themselves into the my mind are probably more than a bit misunderstood. Problem is, I can't find anything else that is at once more accurate and accessible. So I'll keep reading, while trying to imagine that I am watching a 1950s Hollywood epic. This is a great, great story, crying out to be told well in film.

[আলী নেওয়াজ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ইতিহাস পাঠকদের তেষ্টা মেটাতে বইটি পড়ার কোন বিকল্প নেই। ক্রুসেডের ভয়াবহ যুদ্ধ, সাধারণ মানুষের অবর্ণনীয় কষ্ট, রোগ-শোক আর যুদ্ধে ভারাক্রান্ত হয়েও সময়ে সময়ে ক্রুসেডাররা নয়টি ক্রুসেডের রচনা করেছে। তবে দুঃখ শোকের আড়ালে সালাদীন-রিচার্ডের নাটকীয় বিরোধিতা অবাক করেছে। যুদ্ধের ভাষায় তাদের দ্বন্দ্ব যেন একটি ছন্দময় কবিতা হয়ে ছিল। তবে সবশেষে পীড়া দিয়েছে টেম্পলারদের বিচার। বলির পাঠা বানিয়ে টেম্পলারদের ভয়াবহ শাস্তি দিয়ে এক করুণ অধ্যায়ের সমাপ্তিতে আরেক করুণ অধ্যায়ের শুরু না করলেও বোধ করি হত। বইয়ের গুণাগুণ বিচারে বলবো চরিত্রদের পরিচয় করিয়ে দেওয়া একান্ত প্রয়োজন ছিল, সাথে অনুবাদ কোথাও কোথাও অতি কাব্যিকতার দোষে দুষ্ট। ম্যাপের ব্যবহার আরো বাড়ানো প্রয়োজন ছিল।

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Islam spread its teachings by conquest, it became a threat to Christianity. The crusades were intended by the pope who started them as a means of re-claiming the Holy Land and serve as an outlet for young knights with no future.