Books in Let's Go / Oxford University Press series

Here is a collection of fabulously funny poems put together by John Foster and illustrated with creative genius by Korky Paul. There are poems by a range of authors about all kinds of football matches - including meteorite footballs, football on the moon, a witches versus wizards football match, the goalie with expanding hands, and the Stone Age man who invented football. Guaranteed to delight, this is a perfect introduction to poetry either at home or at school.

This is a study of the religious ideas and motivation of the laymen who fought in the First Crusade (1095-1101). Marcus Bull argues that the laity's crusading zeal cannot be understood simply as a reflection of the preoccupations of educated ecclesiastics. His scholarly and sophisticated analysis shows that elements traditionally regarded as central to the crusade's origins--the Peace of God movement and the Spanish Reconquest--were in fact of minimal significance. Through a study of three regions in southwestern France, Bull uncovers the true dynamic of crusade enthusiasm: the beliefs and practices of pious laymen in intimate contact with local religious communities. He shows that the crusade was an expression of everyday, but genuine, piety.