The Great Siege of Malta

An engrossing new study… Bull’s account of the siege itself is lucid and dispassionate. He has a sharp eye for bombast – representing the failed defence of St Elmo as a heroic act of self-sacrifice, for example – that might obscure uncomfortable truths… Bull has set himself a challenging task: to convey the drama of the siege and the myths that grew out of it while downplaying, if not denying, suggestions of its wider historical importance. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one he pulls off with aplomb -- Mathew Lyons * Literary Review * This is an enjoyable book, written by a skilled historian who has read very widely… Everyone will learn something from reading Bull’s work -- Noel Malcolm * Telegraph * Marcus Bull’s revisiting of the siege through the eyes of the Ottomans and a global lens that shifts our angle of vision has made a considerable contribution to our understanding of the events of 1565... his approach is investigatory, based on a forensic study of all the available evidence and posing open-ended questions... the coverage of the siege itself is succinct and full of interesting perspectives -- Roger Crowley * Engelsberg Ideas * ‘Impressive, deeply researched… Rather than pursue old religious agendas and messianic readings of the triumph Bull places the siege in a broad global economic and political context -- Andrew Lambert * Naval Review * Thorough and propulsive -- Michael Prodger * New Statesman * A vivid account of a close-run thing … peculiarly fascinating -- David Horspool * The Oldie * Thoughtful and incisive… a great strength of Bull’s book is precisely that he often dissents from received opinion… he has provided an impressive reassessment, rich in penetrating insights, of a major moment in the history of the Mediterranean -- David Abulafia * TLS * An epic account… [a] no-nonsense, myth-busting book… [Bull] writes with knightly brio and packs a great deal of local and global history into his authoritative book -- Pratinav Anil * The Times *