Routledge deserve to be congratulated for publishing within a matter of months two substantial and valuable additions to the growing library of introductory and general books about the crusades. The approaches that John France and Peter Lock take towards their shared topic form a striking contrast, but they usefully complement each other. France provides a comprehensive narrative, accompanied by a full apparatus of maps, lists of rulers and guides to further reading. A good deal of recent research has emphasised the devotional roots of crusading, and while France does not take issue with the idea that crusades were religious wars, he provides a corrective balance by stressing the extent to which the most successful phase of crusading coincided with, and provided a channel for, the expansion of what he terms ‘the Catholic core’ of western and southern Europe. The chronological range of this study is vast, and while the decision to cover it is justified in terms of France's approach to his subject, the narrative pace does become rather unrelenting. But the author is never less than sure-footed and on military matters in particular he has many insights to offer. Lock's book includes a narrative, but as befits a reference work it is intended for consultation rather than continuous reading. The other key features of his book are a chronological outline of events, short biographies of crusading figures and modern historians of the crusades, potted essays on key questions that arise in studying the crusades, a bibliography, genealogical tables and maps. Teachers of the crusades will have to watch out for some of the essays reappearing in slightly modified form in their students' work. More legitimate uses will be found for this very thorough and accessible collection of information by postgraduate students and scholars who encounter crusading in various contexts in the course of their research.