A History of the Crusades. I. The First Hundred Years ed. by Marshall W. Baldwin (review)

376 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW until 1928 exceptfor the years1901-5, as Directorof the Department o[ Historical Research of theCarnegie Institution, 1905-25,andasChiefof the Division of Manuscripts in theLibraryof Congress, 1928-37,JohnFranklin Jameson presided at thefocalcentreof historical research in the UnitedStates foroverfiftyyears. Hiscontribution to thedevelopment of historical research andscholarship onthiscontinent through decades of personal andtechnical assistance to innumerable historians, throughthe editingof bibliographical guides, andthrough hispersistent support of projects such astheDictionary ofAmerican Biography andthefounding oftheNational Archives in Washingtonis enormous andcontinuing. His influence will goon aslongastheinstitutions andjournals hehelped to create, aslongasthehistorical profession hedidsomuch toforminAmerica fulfils itsplace in society. In thiswell-chosen collection of 500 letters, a smallpart of a lifetime's voluminous correspondence, welookintothemindandheartof a charming andlearned man, weviewthemultiple projects inwhich hewasengaged, and we areintroduced to theworldof historical learning in whichheplayed so large apart.Indeed, these letters provide sorareaninsight intothethinking ofAmerican historians about theirwork,theirprofession, thatnoonewhois concerned tounderstand howandwhyhistory asaprofession anda subiect of study has arisen tosogreat aplace intheUnited States andCanada canafford to neglectthisbook. Theablebiographical introduction byMiss Donnan, andthegeneral excellence ofthescholarly editing, areinthemselves tributes tothatsame spirit ofscholarship towhich theauthor oftheletters devoted hislife.Finally the printing andformat ofthebook areworthy ofitscontents; forthisthepublishers should receive great praise. Inallways this isafine book. RICHARD M. SAUNDERS The Universityof Toronto A History o) • theCrusades. I. TheFirstHundred Years. Edited by MARSHALL W. BALDWIN. With mapsby HAaRYW. HAZAm). KENNETH M. SEXTON, Editor-in-Chief. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1955.Pp. xxvi, 694. $12.00. T•.ns isthefirstvolume in whatisprobably thebiggest co-operative workin mediaeval scholarship since the Cambridge Mediaeval History. It wasconceived twenty years agoby thepupils of DanaMunro, fatherof thegreat American school of crusading historiography. Now,underthegeneral editorship ofKenneth M. Setton, formerly oftheUniversity of Manitoba, it isoff to a handsome start.The editorof the firstvolumeis MarshallBaldwin,of NewYorkUniversity, whoalso contributes twoofthenineteen chapters. The splendid format anddefinitive scholarship willmake it a prizecandidate for bothpublicandprivate libraries. A glance at the list of contributors shows that thisis a trulyinternational proieet. Steven Runciman, far fromfacing ashehadfeared thecompetition of massed American typewriters, supplies a fairshare (twoanda quarter chapters) of thatcompetition himself. Othernon-American contributors are Claude Cahen, thegreatest living writeronthesubiect, SirHamilton Gibb, Bernard Lewis, andVirginia Berry of Manitoba. Mrs.Berry's chapter onthe REVIEWS OF BOOKS $77 Second Crusade is,in fact,oneof thebestplanned andmostreadable. Altogether theeditors--short of adopting a planwhereby onlyfourorfivewriters would have contributed--have assembled the best team available. Theplanforthisvolume called foranexhaustive account of"war,diplomacy and politics," leavinglater volumes to deal with "cultureand institutions." Sucha plan lookstidy and sensible, but canhavedevastating effects. The dangeris not avoided.Only wherethe writersare gifted not only with scholarship but with a livelynarrative stylecouldsucha massof detailbe madedigestible, andit mustbe statedat oncethatpartsof thisvolumeare almost unreadable. Although it will be usedfor reference onpointsof detail, the ordinary readerwill turn to Mr. Runciman's Historyfor a lively and absorbing narrative.May it be suggested that this new enterprise would benefit froma moreflexible approach, possibly givingfewerauthors a wider range?Sucha plan mightnot only avoidmuchduplication, but give the authors a chance to develop a serious theme. Eventhemediaeval chroniclers, citedin defence by Mr. Baldwin(andalsoby Runciman in thepreface to his book),"varied thepace"withpages of moralizing, anecdote, andbiography. Austereand punishing as this volumeis in conception (surelySidney Painter's gay chapterwas writtenin protest!),it will nevertheless be indispensable toallstudents oftheCrusades. Such students mightaskformore usefulmaps (they could hardly be better executed),chronological and genealogical tables, anda moreunified bibliography. No doubtsome lacunae willbefilledin latervolumes: thequestion ofpapalpolicy, andthehistory of the orientalchristians. In the meantime, all scholars will congratulate the editors andtheUniversity ofPennsylvania ontheirgreat contribution to midcentury scholarship. M. R. POWICKE TheUniversity ofToronto Pioneering in Big Business 1882-1911:Historyo[ Standard Oil Company (NewJersey). ByR•,•.•,a W. Hm¾andMumm.E. Hm¾.NewYork:Harper & Bros.[Toronto:Musson BookCompany Limited]. 1955. Pp. xxx, 889, illus. $9.00. TaIsbook, thefirstofseveral projected volumes ontheStandard Oil Company ofNewJersey, canbehighly recommended. It iscomprehensive, objective, and wellwritten.It deals withdrilling,transporting, refining, andselling petroleum and its products;with administrative decisions, business organization, and personalities; with labourrelationsand financialresults;with world-wide marketsand international rivalties;with attacksupon the StandardOil Companies andgovernment intervention. The risk of biasin work of this natureis obvious. Long the target of muck-rakers andrabble-rousers, Standard is hereexamined chieflyby means ofitsownrecords andin thelightofthebusiness mores prevailing at thetime. Starting at a periodwhenunrestrained...