The Crusades
April 18, 2026
Thomas Asbridge, The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, (2011). This is an account of the first crusade in the late 11th century, until the fall of the last crusader state at the end of the 13th century. It is interesting in that it does not just give history of the Latin crusaders but also the opposing Islamic powers.
Fabric
Oct 17, 2026
Victoria Finlay, Fabric, The Hidden History of the Material World, (New York, 2022). Book has a chapter of different kinds of cloth - wool, cotton, silk and others. The chapters are some history and some of the writers travels to work with people who make cloth and some autobiograpy about her family.
Oct 17, 2026
The Path Between the Seas
David McCullough, The Path Between the Seas. The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914, (New York, 1977). The Panama canal was something I had not given much thougt, but was a big story while it was being built. It was finished just as the World War was starting and the official opening was overshadowed by the news of war. The creation of the Panama state from part of Columbia by President Roosevelt is seen as the start of distrust of South American countries of the USA.