An impressive synthesis of a complicated subject, presented in elegant, readable prose. Not many historians could have done it

His deeply researched study is dedicated to exploring the relationship between human reason and religious war in all its aspects - justification, propaganda, recruitment, finance, logistics - to show us how 'reason made religious war possible.'

Mining details on victualing and logistics 800 years ago is Tyerman's forte, and he throws them on to the page like chaff from a trebuchet... it is comprehensive, laying down a great skein of fact where there was only supposition (much of it false). And, as the West gears up for the crusade of 2015-16 against Islamic State, it is horribly timely.

Tyerman's book is fascinating not just for what it has to tell us about the Crusades, but for the mirror it holds up to today's religious extremism

How to Plan a Crusade is serious and scholarly, the synthesis of decades of work on difficult, fragmented sources. Administrative records weren't routinely kept until around 1300, which makes Tyerman's task harder and more impressive...this is also a lively book, laced with wry asides and enough surprising details to pique the general reader.

There is a deeper story here about the rise in Britain of both class structure and bureaucracy...

Wonderfully written and characteristically brilliant account of the logistics (and motivations) that underpinned the Crusades

A wondrous new immersion in ancient stories we only thought weknew. Page to page, Mythos is brilliant, funny, erudite, inventive, surprising and enthralling

[Fry] exhibits prodigious learning, a great facility with words, and enormous erudition and enthusiasm

Lively, humorous and intimate, this retelling has real charm

Fry takes us from Zeus to Athena with humour. The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture, modern literature and music are woven throughout. Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy

Fresh revivals of the myths of ancient Greece. In his own imitable style, Fry takes an erudite look at the doings of gods, goddesses, kings, queens and ordinary mortals

I quite like Mythos, Stephen Fry's book on the Greek myths - he makes them amusing. I like people that illuminate the past with humour

Mythos has the gripping nature that one would hope for from a modern blockbuster. Filled with a sharp and delightful sense of humour, Stephen Fry's many witticisms making it an even more enjoyable read. I would recommend it for so many reasons

Brilliant . . . Stephen Fry's writing style makes it appealing to all. There's something for everyone

Reimagines the lives of ancient Greek gods and goddesses through a humorous lens, using casual language and making valuable comparisons to modern characters or events. It's also just really, really funny

Arguably the greatest living Englishman

The patron saint of British intelligence

National Treasure: noun - someone or something regarded as emblematic of a nation's cultural heritage, such as Stephen Fry

This is an interesting, well-written and thoughtful book… He deserves credit for engaging with a highly complex and equally pertinent subject at a time when Islam is always in the news especially in the Western world

Highly readable… The Islamic Enlightenment has a bone to pick with those who argue that Islam needs to become more civilised.

A refreshingly optimistic counterpoint to the idea that Muslim and Western world-views are doomed to clash.

A tremendous combination of deep learning, forceful argument and arresting prose, The Islamic Enlightenment is bold, bracing and important

That there has been an Islamic Enlightenment at all will come as news to many. De Bellaigue’s account of the “very broad church” of Islam in the modern world is splendid and timely.

Nuanced and rich in detail

A sobering and compelling narrative of calamity.

This is a piercing look at the communities ravaged by the tsunami

What a visionary!... You must read it this summer, you’ll love it. It’s so incredible they published that a year before everything happened… He has a vision and it’s incredible… Incredible!

The literary chronicler of Western decadence