The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

The Time-traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer

The Far-farers: A Journey from Viking Iceland to Crusader Jerusalem by Victoria Clark

The author follows the pilgrimage route of an 11th century Icelander and cover the history of schism between the eastern and western church and the first crusade.

The book is meticulously researched and written in a very engaging fashion. She cleverly juxtaposes events from her modern travels with those of her medieval inspiration.

It is both a history and a travelogue and while more successful as the former does contains many interesting and amusing anecdotes related to her own trip.