Alfred J Church

Herodotus, the "father of history," is possibly the most famous historian of all-and perhaps the most maligned, despite his clear warning at the start of his book that he was merely recording, not vouchsafing, those things that he had not seen himself. As a result, his accounts are often dismissed, but as Alfred Church's masterful retelling shows, this is an unjust assumption. Starting with the reign of King Croesus of Lydia (ca. 560 BC), his wars with the Persians, and the rise of Cyrus the Great of Persia, Herodotus's story line moves through the late Egyptian dynasties, and deals with their downfall and submission to the Persians. The stories of Cyrus's successor, Cambyses, and the renowned King Darius are related, along with a fascinating-if brutal-account of the habits of many of the peoples, Indo-European and otherwise, who shaped the destiny of the Ancient Middle East. The author is as careful as Herodotus in his relation of the ascertained facts, and writes in his preface: "I should be sorry that readers who are not acquainted with the work of the 'Father of History' should carry away from this book the impression that he is nothing more than a credulous and gossiping teller of stories. That he was often deceived, and that he writes with a simplicity which is quite remote from our ways of thinking, is manifest; but those who know him best are aware that he was nevertheless a shrewd and painstaking observer, whose credit has been distinctly increased by the discoveries of modern times." This edition has been completely reset, and contains all the original text and illustrations. ContentsChapter I: The story of King Croesus Chapter II: Croesus, wishing to make war against the Persians, consulteth the oracles Chapter III: King Croesus is defeated and the city of Sardis is taken Chapter IV: Croesus is saved from death. Of Lydia, the Lydians, and of certain Greeks that dwelt in Asia Chapter V: The birth and bringing up of Cyrus Chapter VI: Cyrus overthroweth Astyages and taketh the kingdom to himself Chapter VII: The city of Babylon, Cyrus taketh it Chapter VIII: Cyrus maketh war against the Massaget , and dieth Chapter IX: Of the manners of the Egyptians Chapter X: Of certain kings of Egypt Chapter XI: Of certain other kings of Egypt Chapter XII: The Persians conquer Egypt Chapter XIII: Cambyses maketh war upon the nations round about, is stricken with madness, and so dieth Chapter XIV: The false Smerdis is slain Chapter XV: The kingdom of Darius Chapter XVI: Babylon rebelleth against the king, and is taken Chapter XVII: King Darius maketh war upon the Scythians Chapter XVIII: Of the Scythians and other nations

A wonderful, fully illustrated, retelling of the stories of the First, Third, and Eighth Crusades, narrated by a fictional "wandering Jew" (cursed to live until the Second Coming of Christ), this classic work takes the reader on an epic rollercoaster ride of the triumphs, tribulations, and ultimate defeat of the European counterattack against the rampant Muslim aggression which had seized the Christian lands in the Middle East. The author explains how the Islamic military conquest of huge areas of the Byzantine Empire sparked off the call to Crusade, and then weaves the story of some of the most famous characters and events of the Crusades. From the dizzying successes of the First Crusade-the siege and fall of Antioch and the fall of Jerusalem-to the recapture of Jerusalem by the Muslims, the reader will meet and understand the major characters of the time: Richard Lionheart, Duke Godfrey (the Norman warrior and first king of Jerusalem), Saladin and King Louis of France. The reader will also discover the full tragedy of the ill-fated "Children's Crusade" and much more in this enthralling book.