Colin Wells has written a masterful work on how the Byzantine empire has impacted the world. If you ever read “How the Irish Saved Civilization” and felt it was just a bit too broad and generalized, then “Sailing from Byzantium” is the perfect antidote. Wells not only tells you that the Byzantines changed our world, he tells us exactly how, who did it, why they did it, and the entire process they went through to do it. It is a detailed, rich book filled with wonderful insights about the Byzantine empire and our world today.

Now, that’s not to say this book is for everybody. You really need to love history to enjoy it. Or at least love the Christian Church history, as Wells gives solid insight into how the Orthodox Church split from the Catholic Church. The contrast between the pursuit of mysticism versus rationalism is brilliantly outlined, and that’s a contrast we can see even today. But it may not be a contrast that everybody is interested in. So, I offer my recommendation of this book, but only if this is a topic you are curious about.