The second volume of Steven Runciman''s classic, hugely influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades''There was magic about. Saladin himself was troubled by terrible dreams...''Steven Runciman''s unrivalled history of the Crusades is a classic of learning and vivid, compelling storytelling, which brilliantly brings to life the personalities, battles, massacres, triumphs and follies of these epochal events. In this second volume of his trilogy Runciman tells the story of the foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the disastrous, bloody Second Crusade and the inexorable rise of the crusaders'' nemesis, Saladin. ''The pre-eminent historian of the Byzantine Empire and of the Crusades ... a surefooted guide who could render the past visible and familiar'' Daily Telegraph''He tells his story plain ... always pleasurable to read'' Gore Vidal