Niall Christie in an instructor in history at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada, where he teaches the history of Europe and the Muslim world. He is also an adjunct professor of medieval studies at the University of Victoria. His research focuses on the Muslim response to the crusades. He is the author of numerous articles and The Book of the Jihad of 'Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami (d. 1106): Text, Translation and Commentary (2015).

Chronology; Who's Who; Glossary; Guide to Muslim Names; List of Figures; Acknowledgements; Maps; Dynastic Tables and Genealogies; 1. Introduction; 2. The Muslim World before the Crusades; 3. The First Crusade and the Muslim Response, 1095-1146; 4. Nurturing Enthusiasm for the Jihad, 1146-1174; 5. Victory and Stalemate, 1174-1193; 6. Making War in the Levant; 7. Making Peace in the Levant; 8. The Successors of Saladin, 1193-1249; 9. The Mamluks, 1249-1382; 10. Conclusion; Documents: 1. Extracts from the Qur'an and Hadith; 2. A Depiction of the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (r. 996-1021); 3. Al-Mas'udi on the Franks; 4. The Fall of Jerusalem to the Crusaders: Two Accounts; 5. Muslim Views of the Crusaders and their Motives; 6. Extracts from the Book of the Jihad of 'Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami (d. 1106); 7. The Failure of the Crusader Attack on Damascus in 1148: Two Accounts; 8. Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Wasiti (fl. 1019), Extracts from The Merits of Jerusalem; 9. Ibn al-Athir on Nur al-Din and Saladin; 10. 'Imad al-Din al-Isfahani on the Battle of Hattin and Saladin's Conquest of Jerusalem; 11. Baha' al-Din ibn Shaddad on Saladin's Virtues; 12. An Exchange of Letters during Richard the Lionheart's Crusade; 13. Extract from al-Harawi's Treatise on Muslim Military Tactics; 14. Usama ibn Munqidh on Frankish Culture; 15. Ibn al-Qaysarani and 'Imad al-Din al-Isfahani on Frankish Women; 16. Al-Kamil Muhammad and the Crusade against Damietta in 1218-21; 17. Two Sources on the Handover of Jerusalem to Frederick II; 18. Ibn al-Dawadari on the Battle of 'Ayn Jalut; 19. Qalawun's Treaty with the Lady of Tyre, 1285; 20. Abu'l-Fida' on the Conquest of Acre, 1291; 21. Statements of Usama ibn Ladin (Osama bin Laden, 1957-2011), 1998; Select Bibliography; Index