Now that UTP has returned from the 45th annual International Congress on Medieval Studies, where we mounted an impressive display of our new and backlist books, we thought we should mention another medieval studies event that occurred this past semester, but which we were sadly unable to attend in person.
On February 18, at 5:00 p.m., Jill N. Claster’s Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396 was launched at an event hosted by the College of Arts and Science, the Humanities Institute, and the Department of History at New York University. The book launch took place in a beautiful lounge on the first floor of the Silver Center for Arts and Science (the main NYU building).
The event, which was very well attended, began with some wine, and then speeches were given. Dean Matthew Santirocco of the College of Arts and Science introduced Dr. Claster, spoke about her career at NYU, and then gave a glowing review of the book.
Dr. Claster then spoke about recent scholarship on the crusades, how the field has changed overall, how she chose to incorporate new research in her book, and how her book spends more time on the religious history and the background of the crusades than most of the other books on the subject. She also thanked those people who helped.
Speeches were followed by a book signing and a very nice cocktail party. Comments on the book were shared during the party, with many people mentioning the book’s excellent illustrations and its gorgeous cover and production quality. Those who had read it in advance spoke of the clear and accessible writing style, which is definitely one of its selling points. The NYU Bookstore, which managed sales of the book at the launch, quickly sold out of all copies and took orders for many more. In the Bookstore’s view, the launch was a BIG success. And given the excellent quality of this book and the importance of its topic, we hope it continues to succeed!
