THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Sean Martin, Pocket Essentials, Harpenden, 2004. Hardback, 160 pages, £9.99. ISBN 1-904048-28-5.

For those who have an interest in the Knights Templar but who do not wish to plough through an academic tome, nor to negotiate that frontier swampland where the factual leaks away over the border, then this book is for you. It is a well written and easily enjoyed introduction to the history of this extraordinary crusading Order of military monks whose account still manages to fascinate even after all this time.
    Their story is told briefly but all the interesting territory is covered: their building, their banking, their fighting prowess and their continued commitment to the task of maintaining the Christian kingdom of ‘Outremer’ in the Holy Land over more than one hundred and fifty years; a task which cost the lives of many thousands of knights. Not omitted either is a review of their strange and tragic trials which followed the arrests of dawn, Friday 13th October, 1307.
    Martin takes an open-minded and fair look at a number of the mysteries which surround the story of the Templars: inconsistencies over the accounts of their origins, the supposed links with the Holy Grail, connections with Islam - Templar officials often employed Muslim secretaries - possible heretical practices within the Order, the mysterious head which Guillaume de Gisors, the French king’s official, found during his search of the Temple in Paris, and the various theories concerning those Templars who escaped the arrests, the fate of the Templar shipping fleet and, of course, their treasure - which, to this day, has never been found.
    The book though suffers from its brevity: one wants to linger over the history of the Templars, to enjoy the Order’s undoubted romance and intrigue, and to take the complicated diplomacy and military adventures during the life of the Crusader Kingdom slowly, step by step, in order to gain some feeling for what occurred and to become enchanted by these compelling events. This book tells the story but weaves no spell. But I suppose that some may consider that an advantage.
    Michael Baigent