Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World - Softcover

Crowley, Roger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812977645 ISBN 13: 9780812977646

Publisher: Random House Trade, 2009

Synopsis

In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic clash between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world. In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiraling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar. Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality. Empires of the Sea is a story of extraordinary color and incident, and provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilizations.

About this title

Review:

"[Crowley] offers exquisitely delicate insights and undulating descriptive passages. Yet in his descriptions of the battles, his prose is so taut and tense, it is impossible not to be caught up in the harrowing action."--Christian Science Monitor

"A masterly narrative that captures the religious fervor, brutality and mayhem of this intensive contest."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Gripping . . . This is a rare combination of a history book that reads with the detail, insight and pace of a novel."--Tampa Tribune

"Crowley has an astonishing gift for narration; his account is as exciting as any thriller."--Wall Street Journal

"Crowley's page-turner history . . . deserves to be this [season's] most recommended nonfiction book. . . . Rich in character, action, surprise, what transpired in those few desperate weeks is one of history's best and most thrilling stories."--Dallas Morning News

Book Description:

One of the most gripping and exciting stories ever told of an epic period of international warfare.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0812977645
• ISBN 13: 9780812977646
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368