The Walking Drum

L’Amour’s twelfth-century novel, following Mathurin Kerbouchard from Brittany across the trade routes to Córdoba, Constantinople and the Alamut valley — a book about caravans, libraries and merchants rather than the American West L’Amour is known for.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the replies to @moseskagan asking for historical fiction with building and trade in it rather than violence — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved.

Where I saw it: In the replies to @moseskagan asking “What historical fiction should I read next? (Bonus points for something involving building or trade, rather than violence)” (April 13, 2025). Kyle recovered the reply list by hand and saved it to his “Books To Read” Apple Note; the full transcribed list lives on What historical fiction should I… (tweet).

Connections

• What historical fiction should I… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Republic of Letters — the portfolio idea this sits closest to; the medieval learning of Córdoba is half the book’s subject.
• Historical Fiction — the genre the thread was asking about.