The study of the crusades is one of the most thriving areas of medieval history. This collection of seventeen further essays by leading researchers in the field reflects the best of contemporary scholarship. The subjects handled are remarkably wide-ranging, focusing on the history of the Latin East and its place in the context of Mediterranean trade and Near Eastern political developments. Chronologically, the essays range from the initial settlements at the time of the First Crusade to the way in which historians in more recent centuries have chosen to reconstruct the medieval epoch. Together with its companion volume, The Experience of Crusading: Volume 1, The Experience of Crusading - edited by Marcus Bull and Norman Housley - this collection has been published to celebrate the 65th birthday of Jonathan Riley-Smith, the leading British historian of the crusades. The volume includes an appreciation of his contribution to the study of the Latin East.
