The Templars.
London: Phoenix, 2001. Reprint. Softcover. Octavo. xiv + 350pp. + 12 page color plate insert, maps, appendixes, bibliography, endnotes, index. From the cover: "In this articulate and engaging history, Piers Paul Read explores the rise, the catastrophic fall, and the far-reaching legacy of these knights who took, and briefly held, the most bitterly contested citadel in the monotheistic West. Drawing on the most recent scholarship, and writing with authority and candor, Read chronicles the history of the blood-splattered monks who still infiltrate modernity in literature, as the inspiration for secret societies, and in the backyard fantasies of any child with access to a stick and a garbage can lid. More than armed holy men, the Templars also represented the first uniformed standing army in the Western world. Sustaining their military order required vast sums of money, and, to that end, a powerful multinational corporation formed. The prosperity that European financiers enjoyed, from the efficient management of Levantine possessions and from pioneering developments in the field of international banking, would help jump-start Europe's long-slumbering Dark Age economy." Covers lightly rubbed, chafing to edges and corners, price sticker on rear cover, pages lightly browned - Still, overall a tight, clean VG+ copy. Item #63558
ISBN: 9780753810873
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