The Templars: The Secret History Revealed by Barbara Frale, Arcade, New York, 2004, 232pp; finished 2/20/9; rated 6.
There are a plethora of goofy books on the history of the Templars. This isn’t one of them. It’s written by the Archive Historian of the Vatican Library, and gives a balanced, non-sensational telling of how the Templars began, how they emerged into a monetary/banking powerhouse, how they became a threat to the European city-states, and were ultimately falsely accused of heresy and disbanded by the Pope. If you are interested in medieval history, this is a good read.
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