The Eastern Schism (Oxford University Press Academic Monograph Reprints)

Steve Runciman's book on the Eastern Schism has become something of a classic since its first publication nearly 50 years ago. Runciman's telling of this bitter tale - and it is a tale that spans not only the 11th and 12th centuries, but has roots going back far deeper - is both concise and lucid. Runciman clearly details this narrative that has proved debilitating to Christianity ever since - not only between the East and the West, but also between the umpteen gazillion Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic church.