- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press; illustrated edition edition (12 Sep 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593056523
- ISBN-13: 978-0593056523
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 265,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Exploring the genetic roots of Britain and Ireland
Product Description
Bryan Sykes, the world’s first genetic archaeologist, takes us on a journey around the family tree of Britain and Ireland, to reveal how our tribal history still colours the country today.
In 54BC Julius Caesar launched the first Roman invasion of Britain. His was the first detailed account of the Celtic tribes that inhabited the Isles. But where had they come from and how long had they been there? When the Roman eventually left five hundred years later, they were succeeded by invasions of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. Did these successive invasions obliterate the genetic legacy of the Celts, or have very little effect?
After two decades tracing the genetic origins of peoples from all over the world, Bryan Sykes has now turned the spotlight on his own back yard. In a major research programme, the first of its kind, he and his team at Oxford University set out to test the DNA of over 10,000 volunteers from across Britain and Ireland with the specific aim of answering this very question: what is our modern genetic make-up and what does it tell us of our tribal past? Where are today’s Celtic genes? Did Vikings only rape and pillage, or settle with their families? And what of the genetic legacy of the Saxons and the Normans? Are the modern people of the Isles a delicious genetic cocktail? Or did the invaders keep mostly to themselves forming separate genetic layers within the Isles? And where do you fit in?
As his findings came in, Bryan Sykes discovered that the genetic evidence revealed often very different stories to the conventional accounts coming from history and archaeology. Blood of the Isles reveals the nature of our genetic make-up as never before and what this says about our attitudes to ourselves, each other, and to our past. It is a gripping story that will fascinate and surprise with its conclusions.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Bryan Sykes gives the story of his travels around the Isles collecting samples, with many interesting anecdotes along the way. In the last few pages he gives his views on the meaning of the results. The problem is that he does not give enough detail on what those results actually were for the reader to form an opinion on the reliability of his conclusions.
Several comments in the book indicate that Sykes was very keen not to make the book too technical for the general reader. A laudable aim, but the secret of a good popular science book is to make the science comprehensible and interesting to readers without a scientific background - not to leave out the science. There is a reference to a web site where the details can be found, but they should have been in the book.
Several comments in the book indicate that Sykes was very keen not to make the book too technical for the general reader. A laudable aim, but the secret of a good popular science book is to make the science comprehensible and interesting to readers without a scientific background - not to leave out the science. There is a reference to a web site where the details can be found, but they should have been in the book.
59 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you have already read Brian Sykes' "The Seven Daughters of Eve", you will be familiar with a number of the arguments raised in this book. In the "Seven Daughters" , Sykes explored the theme that most people of European origin are descended from seven clan mothers at varying times in the past 40,000 years. Interestingly as an aside in the current work, he makes the point that he now believes an Eighth daughter should be added.The current book extends this argument, to consider the genetic origins of the "tribes" of the British Isles. If you have not read the Seven Daughters, the first chapters provide a useful background to Sykes research methods and how these developed- if you have read the previous books this can be a bit repetetive, although in fairness he does try and keep this to the minimum required for the first time reader. The first chapters also provide a useful potted history of the Isles from the re-population after the Younger Dryas event at the end of the last Ice Age.
The second part of the book, considers the individual origins of the Irish, Scots, Welsh and English, based on Sykes analysis of Mitochondrial DNA and the Y Chromosone. I found the chapters relating to Ireland and Scotland more interesting- perhaps because the genetic patterns are more distinct, enabling Sykes to draw some firmer conclusions. The chapters on England, seemed weaker - probably this is no fault of the author's- the differences between Frisian, Saxon and Norman DNA, does not seem great enough to allow any firm conclusion on this. In any case, the book goes some way to demolishing the myths of the Saxon origins of the English and an ethnic cleansing of the Celtic population, genetically most of us remain pretty Celtic.
It is difficult, to pitch this type of book between loading on the statistics and baffling the general reader- possibly it leans a bit too far to the general reader, I was left looking for a bit more detail in places. Nevertheless, the writing style is engaging throughout, and the book contains enough nuggets of interest to make it worth the purchase. I would well recoomend to readers with a general interest in the history of the British Isles and for the those with an interest in their distant Brritish family history.
The second part of the book, considers the individual origins of the Irish, Scots, Welsh and English, based on Sykes analysis of Mitochondrial DNA and the Y Chromosone. I found the chapters relating to Ireland and Scotland more interesting- perhaps because the genetic patterns are more distinct, enabling Sykes to draw some firmer conclusions. The chapters on England, seemed weaker - probably this is no fault of the author's- the differences between Frisian, Saxon and Norman DNA, does not seem great enough to allow any firm conclusion on this. In any case, the book goes some way to demolishing the myths of the Saxon origins of the English and an ethnic cleansing of the Celtic population, genetically most of us remain pretty Celtic.
It is difficult, to pitch this type of book between loading on the statistics and baffling the general reader- possibly it leans a bit too far to the general reader, I was left looking for a bit more detail in places. Nevertheless, the writing style is engaging throughout, and the book contains enough nuggets of interest to make it worth the purchase. I would well recoomend to readers with a general interest in the history of the British Isles and for the those with an interest in their distant Brritish family history.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a fascinating investigation into the maternal and paternal DNA of the British, comparing historical accounts and myths to the evidence of DNA samples taken from the modern population.
Much as I enjoy non-fiction I sometimes struggle to read it - not so with this book. In places it reads at thriller pace. It's popular science at its best; anyone who enjoyed Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" will like this too, particularly if ancient history, family history or myths interest you - along with a smidgin of biology!
A thought-provoking companion to genealogical research.
Much as I enjoy non-fiction I sometimes struggle to read it - not so with this book. In places it reads at thriller pace. It's popular science at its best; anyone who enjoyed Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" will like this too, particularly if ancient history, family history or myths interest you - along with a smidgin of biology!
A thought-provoking companion to genealogical research.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What I did in my holidays
I came to this book by a circuitous route.
I have long been dissatisfied with established accounts of pre-history. Read more
I have long been dissatisfied with established accounts of pre-history. Read more
Published 15 months ago by F. Westmoreland
Olde Albion
As well as genetics this book covers alot of history and folklore. The author goes to various parts of Britain & Ireland and studies the genetic make-up of the population, then he... Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by Sawney Beane
Cynical, anti-English and Wrong
To question the delusion of a 'celtic' identity these days is to risk attracting not just criticism but, as even humble journalists have found to their cost, death threats. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2008 by Angeln
Thin, rushed, poorly presented
I expected much better of this book having read Syke's previous "Seven Daughters of Eve." I read Sykes because he's a famed geneticist, but he pads most of the book with straight... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2008 by historryfann
Fascinating subject, poorly presented.
This could have been a really satisfying read on a fascinating subject; instead it is a major letdown as a result of poor presentation, dumbing down, and rampant... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2007 by G. Carroll
The Blood of the Isles
Wow, this book is mindblowing for anyone like me who has traced, as far as they can their family tree and wondered what had happened previously and how their ancestors came to be... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2007 by K. Cooney
Genetic Gold
I read the Blood of the Isles in three days which is more "novel-speed" than factual book speed.
Having been interested in the history of the peoples of the british... Read more
Having been interested in the history of the peoples of the british... Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2006 by J. Kirk
A disappointment
"The seven daughter of Eve" was a good popular science book and I was looking forward to another one like it. But with this book he seems to dumb down his whole approach. Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2006 by ColinM
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