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A History of the Crusades, 3 Volume Box Set, published by the preeminent Folio Society in 2003, was written by Steven Runciman and is definitely a collector’s item for any serious Crusade scholar and book nerd (#booknerd).
You know that you’re a book nerd when you get so excited that you acquired a cloth-bound, historic box set that you decide to do a photo shoot for your books! Okay, nerd alert! Photo shoot below!
Not only is this a valuable edition, I nabbed this little beauty at a book sale for only . . . wait for it . . . $8.00! That’s right, EIGHT smakeroos. Not only does this add to my collection of bargain book sets that I bought “dirt cheap,” it is also an amazing addition to my resources on medieval history.
5 Valuable Multi-Volume Book Sets I Bought Dirt Cheap
Steven Runciman’s “A History of the Crusades” was originally published between 1951 and 1954 by the Cambridge University Press. It was later republished by the Folio Society in 2001 and 2003 – for the uninitiated, the Folio Society is a publishing house that basically turns “timeless” works of literature into works of art “worthy of their contents” (Folio Society About Us page).
Their sentiment on books is worth quoting for any good book nerd:
“A Folio book is a unique object, one in which typography, illustration, paper, and printing and binding techniques all play a part in creating a harmonious whole. The Folio Society has celebrated the particular joy to be derived from owning, holding and reading a beautiful printed edition. Our aim is to create books that are unique in their aesthetic and in their quality – this is what makes a Folio collection something to cherish.
This slipcase bound box set contains a total of 1,192 pages along with many illustrations. It is a perfect companion for two other books that I cherish on the subject that I’ve also written book reviews for: “God’s War: A New History of the Crusades” (2008) and “The World of the Crusades” (2019), both by Christopher Tyerman.
Without further adieu, here are 12 enticing photos of Steven Runciman’s “A History of the Crusades” 3 Volume Box set containing the editions “The First Crusade,” “The Kingdom of Jerusalem,” and “The Kingdom of Acre.”
SOURCE
- Runciman, Steven. 2003. A History of the Crusades, 3 Volume Box Set: The First Crusade, The Kingdom of Jerusalem, The Kingdom of Acre. London: The Folio Society.
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