Books dealing with the Crusades from the Arabic perspective are comparatively rare. But Greenhill are pleased to announce the publication of a classic on the great Arab hero of the conflict - Saladin. The book is Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem by Stanley Lane-Poole With a New Introduction by David Nicolle Saladin is a legendary figure in the history of the Middle East. Saladin’s rise to fame in the tumultuous arena of twelfth-century Middle Eastern politics was rapid and he quickly established himself as a military commander of genius, a man of honour and an intrepid statesman. This detailed biography of Saladin, and history of his life and times, was written by the eminent historian Stanley Lane-Poole. This classic account, first published in 1898, has certainly stood the test of time and is now being republished in a new format and with new illustrations throughout. Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem was the original ‘pre-revisionist’ history of this important historical figure. The author, able to access the rich and colourful chronicles of Arab and Moslem historians, provides us with a brilliant insight into the life and deeds of this warrior-monarch. Based on a lifetime of study, Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem examines Saladin’s youth, his military experiences, his conquest of Egypt and Syria, the Holy War against the crusaders and, crucially, Saladin’s duel with the chivalric Richard the Lionheart. For this new edition David Nicolle has provided a new Introduction and new illustrations complement this classic work. “Stanley Lane-Poole was an eminent historian of the history of the Middle East. His works included The Moors in Spain, The Art of the Saracens and Cairo. In his New Introduction Dr David Nicolle outlines the importance of Lane-Poole and his biography: Stanley Lane-Poole wrote his biography of Sultan Yusuf Ibn al-Din Ayyub Ibn Shadlhi Abu’l-Muzaffar Salah al-Din al-Malik al-Nasir - better known in Europe and America simply as Saladin - just over a century ago in 1898. Since then it has remained the most readable, generally the most sympathetic and often the most accessible Western biography of the ruler and military leader, who, by general consent, remains the greatest ‘hero’ of the Crusades. Lane-Poole was also the first historian writing in the English language to use all the then available sources, both European and Islamic. These ranged from chronicles and other written texts, through architectural inscriptions, archaeological evidence and the numismatic information obtained from coins. The author’s enthusiasm for his subject undoubtedly pervades the book. The author was himself Professor of Arabic at Trinity College, Dublin, and he wrote in a slightly old-fashioned style which makes his work a delight to read. More importantly, Lane-Poole lived before the rise of anti-Arab prejudice in the twentieth century, and before the increasing tide of Islamophobia which colours so much current writing. As a true scholar who respected as well as loved his subject, Lane-Poole is largely innocent of the implicit racism which can be seen in the writings of so many Western scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.” Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 116 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com