Looking for a good book on the Hashshashin

Hello,

Not sure where to post this as I do not know where to find the "Book Review" thing that we recently voted for ...

Anyway, as the title says I am interested in finding a book that covers the Hashshashin in depth. I would also like if it was well written and intriguing (to keep me turning the pages ) but also if it employed the air of mystery that surrounds this sect ...

Putting their name into amazon (any of the following Hashshashin, Hashishin, Hashashiyyin, or Hashasheen) yields no results

Can anyone help? Failing a book I will just google online resources.

This amazon link pulls up a lot under "assassins"

Amazon Link

Now I need to make a choice so any guidance would be great, will be looking at the on site reviews too...

try the walking drum ..by louis lamour ...kerbouchard's father was captured and held prisoner by the Alamut..he spends a lifetime infiltrating them to rescue him from there...best accounting of the old man in the mountain ...also ...try a book titled cannabis not sure of the author but they cover a little more but they do reference the walking drum as the most accurate source..all of the ones below reference the sect but in a much more "western" sense...even discounting the use of Hashish to succumb the assassins' into straying into the mightiest palaces and castles of the time thereby enforcing their stigma as the saviors ..The empire's goal was to bring scientific and social breakthroughs to all its peoples, including religious freedom.

# ^ Daftary (1999). The Isma'ilis: their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. pp. 324–338. ISBN 0-521-42974-9.
# ^ Lewis, Bernard (1967). The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. ISBN 0-465-00498-9.
# ^ The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis
# ^ Assassins at the Encyclopedia of the Orient
# ^ Polo, Marco. The Travels of Marco Polo. Plain Label Books. ISBN 1-603-03300-9.

peace...

Hashishian ....
"Didn't they tell you...I kill shills.."

Hello,

Thank you for getting back to me and it seems you are somewhat knowledgeable in this area.

The Walking Drum, is that fiction based on fact?

If so, I think that I will start with The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam and then also purchase L'Amour at a later date because it is only £5.

I will post a review when the review section is up and running.

Thanks

I've read Bernard Lewis's The Assassins, which the poster above mentioned. I enjoyed it and found it a solid and reasonably balanced look at the phenomenon. Somebody has just put out a new book on them as well, I'm sorry but I can't remember the title or author. To be honest, my favorite stuff comes from the Internet and my imagination, neither of which are particularly relable in a historical sense but it sure is one heck of a good story, whatever the underlying truth, no?

Ah, fair Alimut, how I long for your sky-swathed turrets, your maiden-garlanded fastnesses, banners snapping smartly in the thin mountain air..I'd give my right arm for an afternoon in Hassan's library, as well.

For some more florid, poetic takes on the subject, look into Hakim Bey and William Burroughs, who are fond of sprinking references to the Assasins around their works. Robert Anton Wilson and Tim Leary are quite into the subject and often "riff" on it in their writings, with interesting results.

Personally, what most interests me is the philosophical aspect...clearly Hassan was a learned man and one of history's greatest private librarians...I'd love to know more about his ideas about Ismailism. Ismailism spawned a number of peculiar offspring down through the ages, each of which is fascinating in its own right. A profound and unusual theology. I'm a great sucker for the mystical/esoteric in all its forms, and even "straight" Ismailism offers that in great abundance...



[edit on 6/13/09 by silent thunder]

Hello Thunder,

Thank you for your input.

I too read Bernard Lewis and to be honest, it steered quite far away from the core story of the Assassins (but maybe that is because there is little information on them and more information on the Ismailis).

It was also very heavy reading with a lot of names and an expected understanding of Eastern culture and history (which I do kind of posses so I could keep up but would need to read it a second time to fully understand it all).

I am coming to the end of the Walking Drum which is a novel but has some accurate history throughout and would recommend to anyone wanting to study that period of history as it gives a chance to relax and enjoy a story and take a break from the fact based research

a reply to: george_gaz

Hi there, just joined when searching for more information. I have some, but perhaps I would start with a book, relatively easy to find, by Vladimir Bartol. It`s called "Alamut", which was, as you probably already know, the name of the castle in which the head of the sect resided.

I hope it`s useful information, although years late, lol.

Tell me if you want to find more.