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HOUSLEY, N., Fighting for the Cross. Crusading to the Holy Land. Yale University Press, NewHaven/London, 2008. XIV,(4),357p. ills. Bound with pictorial dust wrappers. Like new. ‘After an obligatory survey chapter, Housley proceeds thematically rather than chronologically. Drawing on a wealth of detail, each chapter addresses a stage of crusading - the call, the oath, the journey, the warfare, etcetera - while simultaneously marking change over time - before and after the fall of Acre, before and after the Mongol invasions, and so on. While the first four such thematic chapters are conventional in subject, the last five are far more daring and rewarding. Fundamentally Housley’s object of study is the religious devotion of the crusaders: ‘This book is about religion, and more specifically about why generations of men and women between 1095 and 1291 believed that the surest way of reaching the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ was by obeying Christ’s command in Mark 8:34 to ‘take up your cross and follow me” (p.23). He thinks the religious beliefs of crusaders were neither deviant of innovative but rather rested on the ‘solid bedrock of Catholic belief in its various doctrinal, sacramental and devotional aspects.’ (…) Relying only on his fine historical intuition, this approach leads him to dismiss some evidence as merely a literary topos and claim that other evidence is not merely a topos.(…) The selective use of evidence, the exclusion of certain readings, has the effect of narrowing the meaning of religion rather than expanding our understanding of it (which is Housley’s aspiration). (…) There is a great deal to admire about ‘Fighting for the Cross’. Housley writes beautifully; he effortlessly commands both primary and secondary literature; and he drizzles the text with evocative details. (…) The chapter entitled ‘Saracens’ is excellent, incorporating important research while also pointing to new areas of study (…). The strongest chapter, ‘Storming Heaven’, ‘Brave New World’, and ‘Remembrance of Things Past’, are original and fine essays that could be individually plucked and handed to students as models of writing and analysis. ‘Fighting for the Cross’ is highly enjoyable, stimulating, and informative read for scholars and students of the crusades.’ (HUSSEIN ANWAR FANCY in Comparative Studies in society and History (2010), pp.211-213). € 30.00 (Antiquarian) ISBN: 9780300118889