Whether writing of the Alps, the high seas, or the North Pole, Fergus Fleming has won acclaim as one of today's most vivid and engaging historians of adventure and exploration. The Sword and the Cross takes us to the Sahara at the end of the nineteenth century, when France had designs on a hostile wilderness dominated by deadly Tuareg nomads. Two fanatical adventurers, Charles de Foucauld and Henri Laperrine, rose to the cause of their country's national honor. Abandoning his decadent lifestyle as a sensualist and womanizer ...
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Whether writing of the Alps, the high seas, or the North Pole, Fergus Fleming has won acclaim as one of today's most vivid and engaging historians of adventure and exploration. The Sword and the Cross takes us to the Sahara at the end of the nineteenth century, when France had designs on a hostile wilderness dominated by deadly Tuareg nomads. Two fanatical adventurers, Charles de Foucauld and Henri Laperrine, rose to the cause of their country's national honor. Abandoning his decadent lifestyle as a sensualist and womanizer, Foucauld founded a monastic order so severe that during his lifetime it never had a membership of more than one. Yet he remained a committed imperialist and from his remote hermitage continued to assist the military. The stern career soldier Laperrine, meanwhile, founded a camel corps whose exploits became legendary. During World War I the Sahara's fragile peace crumbled. In the desert mountains Foucauld paid a tragic price for his role as imperial pawn. Laperrine, by then recalled to the Western Front, returned to avenge his friend.
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Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross to cart. $6.24, very good condition, Sold by Harry Righton rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Worcs, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2004 by Faber & Faber.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $8.35, very good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove/Atlantic.
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Very Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofi t job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $9.38, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove/Atlantic.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $9.38, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove/Atlantic.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $11.50, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove/Atlantic.
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Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $12.37, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $14.98, good condition, Sold by Books Revisited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Cloud, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Grove Pr.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $16.00, very good condition, Sold by Powell's Books Chicago rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $21.74, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2004 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of The Sword and the Cross Two Men and an Empire of Sand to cart. $21.95, very good condition, Sold by Ainsworth Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sumas, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Grove Press.
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Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 080211752X. Bookdealers stamp on inside front board. Remainder marks on top and bottom page edges. Top fore corners lightly bumped.; A bright, solid book, dustjacket in Mylar, unclipped.; 9.34 X 6.34 X 1.25 inches; 249 pages; "The Sword and the Cross takes us to the Sahara at the end of the nineteenth century, when the desert remained largely unexplored by Europeans. But France, which had seized Algeria in 1830, had designs on this hostile wilderness. Charles de Foucauld and Henri Laperrine, two friends, were part of this conquest. The one a layabout and womanizer, the other a stern career soldier, each found his vocation in the desert. Foucauld abandoned his decadent lifestyle and founded a severe monastic order. Living off dates and barley, the gourmand became a sun-baked scarecrow, thought by many to be a saint. Yet he remained a committed imperialist, and continued to assist the military. Laperrine founded a camel corps whose exploits became legendary. Surviving on dates and water, he led his men across the desert as Foucauld, guide and interpreter, trudged along reciting prayers. When the Sahara's fragile peace crumbled during World War I, Foucauld paid a tragic price for his role as imperial pawn. Laperrine, by then recalled to the Western Front, returned to avenge his friend. A haunting narrative of a forgotten period in Europe's colonial crusade, this is also a story of hatred and friendship, discovery and delusion."
