From the Antonine emperors of the 2nd century A.D. to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Gibbon's masterpiece ranges over nearly fourteen-hundred years with flair and wit. This edition is bound in a classic style and presented in two gold-blocked slipcases, with 127 plates of historical illustrations. Eight volumes.
The Trial of the Templars
Malcolm Barber
The persecution of the Knights Templar - the most famous and powerful of the military religious Orders - by the Inquisition marks a defining moment in medieval history. But were the Templars really guilty of "detestable, execrable, abominable" crimes? Malcolm Barber traces the events that culminated in the burning at the stake of the Templars' Grand Master in 1314.
Assassins
Bernard Lewis
Founded in 1090, the Assassins were a Shi'ite sect based in remote rocky fortresses across Persia and Syria, from where they targeted any influential figure whose death would be of value to their radical cause. This edition also includes the earliest Islamic account of the Assassins by the Persian historian, Juvayni.
A History of Rome
Theodor Mommsen
Theodor Mommsen was one of the greatest historians of the 19th century, and his magnificent History of Rome - which won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902 - has become the cornerstone of all subsequent studies of the Roman republic. Edited and introduced by Anthony Grafton. Translated by W. P. Dickson.
History of the Crusades
Steven Runciman
In this gripping and vivid history, Sir Steven Runciman takes us through 300 years of the crusading impulse, from its birth in the eleventh century to its decline in the fourteenth. This is a work as enthralling to read as it is vital to any understanding of the Middle Ages. Three volumes in one slipcase. 54 color plates.
Byzantium
John Julius Norwich
When Constantine the Great gained control of the ailing Roman Empire in 323 A.D., he proclaimed that his new capital would be built on the site of the ancient city of Byzantium. This classic history tells the epic story in all its lurid, magnificent and compelling detail. Three volumes, bound in cloth.
