This is not exactly the sort of question I normally see on r/AskHistorians, but I think people here are the ones who can answer it best. What is a good way to find good material (specifically books) to learn about a historical topic? Is there a better way than googling "books crusades" and starting from the top? How does one decide what book is worth reading first?
And does anyone have advice on good books for an interested non-historian, that cover the crusades from an economical/social point of view? I'm not (or better, not only) interested in what crusaders did while crusading, but in how and why crusades were started, funded, and "advertised".
As a more typical question: What was the public opinion (among rural and city people, not nobles or clergy) about the crusades? Were they seen as a holy and noble endeavour, or just as another type of warfare and reason for more taxes, with the only possible added bonus that at least a lot of it was done away from their fields? Did this opinion change substantially between countries, or between the different crusades?
Well if you're looking for books that historians generally have a good opinion of, AskHistorians has it's very own booklist curated by its flaired users and mod team. An additional book I'd recommend is How to Plan a Crusade by Christopher Tyerman, which is a detailed look at the logistics and planning of crusades.
Honestly, I think google is a good place to start. Theres so many books on the crusades and a google search is going to give you a good summary of the main books/historians who work on the topic. Usually, when i look into a new topic, i will find a well known book and start from there and i will use the books/sources they list in their bibliographies to find more in-depth texts. This is very useful when looking for specific topics. I also enjoy using goodreads (app/website) to find books. People will usually write good summaries/reviews that are helpful when deciding if a book is worth reading or if its going to be relevant. If you want a book on the crusades personally i think a great place to start is Crusaders by Dan Jones. Its from 2019 so if will also comment on earlier work on the crusades. It is more of a history of the wars of the crusades, but it is a good read. Hope this was somewhat helpful.