The second volume of Steven Runciman's classic, highly influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades. 'There was magic in the air. Saladin himself was tormented by terrifying dreams...' Runciman's unparalleled history of the Crusades is a classic work of learning and vivid, exciting storytelling, which uniquely brings to life the personalities, battles, massacres, triumphs, and follies of these epochal events. In this second volume of the trilogy, Runciman narrates the story of the founding of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the disastrous, bloody Second Crusade, and the relentless rise of the Crusaders' nemesis, Saladin. 'The outstanding historian of the Byzantine Empire and the Crusades... a sure-footed guide who could make the past visible and familiar' - Daily Telegraph. 'Tells his story with clarity... always pleasant to read' - Gore Vidal.