Kyle Harrison
to-read
The Quest for El Cid
- Author
- Richard Fletcher
- Published
- 1989
- Pages
- 217
- Recommended
- Once
Why it’s on the list: Fletcher strips the legend off Rodrigo Díaz and reconstructs the eleventh-century Iberia he actually operated in — a frontier of shifting Christian and Muslim allegiances where a mercenary could serve either side.
Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @typesfast’s question, “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet). It was listed there as “The Quest for El Cid”.
Connections
- History — The discipline the book is a model of: separating the man from the myth.
- What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.