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| Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 31 reviews)
Sales Rank: 24684
Category: Book
Author: Roger Crowley
Publisher: Random House
Studio: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Label: Random House
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6 x 2
ISBN: 1400066247
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.21
EAN: 9781400066247
ASIN: 1400066247
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A fascinating and well-written piece November 3, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
During the middle of the sixteenth century, the Mediterranean Sea was the prime battlefield upon which the Ottoman and Hapsburg Empires dueled. Starting in 1521 with the Ottoman attack and capture of the island of Rhodes, the two empires fought a seesaw battle across the sea, with the Muslims relentlessly pushing the Christians back until the battle reached the center of the Mediterranean. In 1565, the Ottomans launched a massive invasion of the island of Malta, believing that an easy victory awaited them. But, after a grueling battle that culminated in a humiliating defeat, the Muslim advance across the sea was finally checked. And, with the historic Battle of Lepanto, the Turks suffered a naval setback from which they never recovered.
This is the story of the titanic contest that, perhaps more than any other event, decided whether or not Europe would successful resist Muslim conquest.
Overall, I must say that I really enjoyed this book. The author did an excellent job of taking the history of what happened, and turning it into an interesting read. Indeed, I found the author's story of the fall of the fort of St. Elmo on Malta to be so moving that it actually chocked me up. That's very unusual for a work of non-fiction.
So, let me just say that if you are interested in history, you will enjoy this fascinating and well-written piece. I do not hesitate to give it my highest recommendations!
Empires of the Sea October 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was an exceptional book of history. I found myself sitting up well past midnight in order to reach the end of a major section. Gripping and extremely informative. I would recommend it with enthusiasm. Two other excellent books helped lay a groundwork for my appreciation of this work. Norwich's 3 volume Byzantium is an exceptional piece of work. When I reached the end, I was wishing for a fourth volume. Short of that, Mansel's excellent Constantinople picks up where Norwich leaves off and completes the history through the end of the Ottoman empire. For anyone wishing to have a sweeping sense of the important history of the eastern Mediterranean, I can recommend all these volumes with gusto.
The Battle for Control of the Mediterranean between the Cross and the Crescent October 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this book on the strength of a favorable review by Lord Norwich, who has written often and authoritatively of the Venetians and the Byzantines in recent years, and I was not disappointed. Like Norwich, the author, Roger Crowley, has a pleasing prose style and a jeweler's precision for the telling anecdote or vignette. Not only does Crowley describe all of the major characters in vibrant detail, but he also provides a postscript on the fates of those who lived beyond the end of his narrative that is illuminating.
What of the subject matter? Crowley provides a concise and compelling account of the struggle between the seemingly unstoppable Ottoman Empire and the contentious but hardly cohesive Christian powers for control of the Mediterranean during the Sixteenth Century. Much of the story is devoted to sieges - the siege of Rhodes, of Malta, of Nicosia, and of Famagusta. Crowley perceptively observes that this struggle for control of the Mediterranean involved surprisingly few major sea battles until the climax at Lepanto.
Crowley has collected the stories of an important fifty-year period between the Turkish victory at Rhodes in 1522 and their defeat at Lepanto in 1571. Included in his subtitle is "the contest of the center of the world." At the conclusion of his account, he notes that by the end of the Sixteenth Century events on larger seas were shifting the center of the world. I would have preferred some additional analysis of this point and some maps and diagrams of crucial events would also have been helpful. The period drawings were all quite good, but they did not offer the perspective to follow the author's detailed account. Notwithstanding my own preferences on these collateral points, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without reservation.
Truly makes history come alive! October 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is both authoritative and extraordinarily readable. It's truly a page-turner, even for people (like me) with no particular fascination with the sea battles between Islam and Christendom. Highly recommended!
 Excellent Book, But Not My Cuppa Tea October 3, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is an authoritative book, chock with facts and amazement that would normally merit five stars from me. But, through no fault of the author, probably, I rate it four stars because, though brilliantly done, it bored me. Probably says more about me than the author, so I will give it a four for its scholarship, but I only got a three-star enjoyment out of it. And that's because this book is essentially about two battles and once each battle got underway, I found the descriptions boring. They were epic battles, with plenty of action and intrigue, but battles bore me. I can't read about all of the troop movements, flanking movements, legions of dead and wounded, etc., without my eyes glazing over. In other words, this book gave me more than I wanted. But I respect the views of other reviewers who found it outstanding. So, I'm trying to be positive because it is such an important piece of work. It just wasn't my cuppa.
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