The Templars: The History and the Myth

This was so much closer to what I was looking for than the previous book I read, which focused exclusively on the tactics of the battles. Based on the last several chapters, this book is an excellent condensing of the history of the organization, how they came to be, and how they were actually brought down. Not only does the author go into what can be gleaned from historical documents but also talks about the various spinoffs from Christianity and the different branches of Islam and their relation to the reason for the Templars' creation.

He also goes into alot of the myths that have arisen over time. [The author is definitely not a Dan Brown fan.]

This is going in my personal library for rereading.