The Second Crusade (Yale, £25) is a campaign that deserves better recognition. Wedged between the first in which Jerusalem was captured and the third in which Richard the Lionheart clashed with Saladin, the second did not steal such historic thunder.

In its way, it had its own greatness, claims Jonathan Phillips in this classic book. The Second Crusade was launched with fiery speeches - especially by Bernard of Clairvaux - and every hope of eclipsing past triumphs.

Led by the German Emperor, Conrad III, and French king, Louis VII, its aim were multi-pronged, not only to challenge Muslim suzerainty in the Holy Land but the pagans in the Baltic. Only in Iberia were they sucessful. In Phillips's scholarly hands the commitment and the passion of the crusaders is brought alive, the planning and execution of the campaign superbly drawn.

Yet this was a tragedy on a broad scale. The Second Crusade was noted for its blunders as French and German commanders failed in their unity and were ambushed repeatedly by the Turks.

The crusade that had started so joyously with thousands following the Cross became a nightmare heightened by starvation on the long road to Outremer. This was a dark time for medieval history.

Those who survived the Second Crusade and reached Jerusalem were men constantly under attack. The legend is their survival, an odyssey no longer neglected.