Chronicles of the Crusades (Penguin Classics)

Really compelling and descriptive! It is told from a knight's perspective in the 4th Crusade from his eye witness account. The details he gives are fascinating. Didn't think a book on the crusades would be interesting but it was.

I had to read this book for a Crusades class, but I actually ended up enjoying it! I only had to read the part written by Villehardouin and not the part by Joinville. Villehardouin was very good at telling the descriptions of the events without being too biased and in a very interesting way. I would recommend it for sure to anyone who is interested in the Crusades.

good book, used it for research with my own books... an author has to be accurate. Thank you for carrying it.

I highly recommend this translation of Joinville and Villehardouin.The translator has taken care to translate these works into lucid, contemporary language without dumbing down the writing. Her work has paid off, providing a readable and lively edition still suitable for scholarly review.Whether you are reading these for enjoyment, personal interest, or academic reasons, this translation is a good one.

This is an excellent read about the 4th Crusade, it is well worth reading for anyone interested in this part of our history. I learned things I had really never thought about, and I'm a young 80 years old. I Purchased this through my Kindle which I am seldom without.

While I enjoyed this book, I would not recommend this for anyone with a hard interest in history or the crudes in particular. Was translated from the text of the times which made for slow reading for me.

A favorite of mine, especially the second of this two-book compilation - the Vita St. Louis. Joinvilles vivid first hand account of the seventh crusade makes for a real page turner.

Great and historically accurate read. Love primary sources.

Good

very beauty

The book was requested so I could better understand the role the Crusades played in the history of the Muslim world

This is an enjoyable read, we must assume that the translation is accurate and the writer has managed something unusual; the English is lucid and articulate and yet gives the flavour of the age. The details are of great interest, the sort of things one rarely finds in the history books which are giving an overview and cannot go into such detail as provided by an eye-witness. The notes are sufficiently scholarly without being oppressive and the glossary is a good reference resource. The perspective of the westerners on the fall of Constantinople should be considered by anyone interested in that important episode!

I so much enjoyed reading these two accounts; the 'Fourth Crusade' in particular was fascinating - set-back after diversion after procrastination after compromise - the twists and turns of the narrative and the mixed motivations of the participants wouldn't be out of place in a film or a novel. Agree with the other reviewers about the translation, although personally I would have been happy with a bit more period flavour - sometimes I felt a little like I was reading the New English Bible rather than the King James, so to speak. But all round a hugely enjoyable read.