- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd; illustrated edition edition (6 May 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 050005083X
- ISBN-13: 978-0500050835
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 19.4 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
660,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #55 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Earth Based Religions > Druidism
- #79 in Books > History > Archaeology > By Period > Celtic, Saxon, Viking & Nordic
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"Copiously illustrated ... well written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking."
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
The white-clad Druid wielding a golden sickle and conducting secret ceremonies in remote forest glades is a familiar figure in art and literature. But just how accurate is this view when compared with actual evidence from the past? Were the Druids barbaric head-hunters involved in human sacrifice? Or were they wise and benevolent healers who could interpret omens and predict the future? In this rich and fascinating account, lavishly supported by beautiful illustrations, Miranda Green unravels the truth about the Druids. Examining the archaeological evidence, Classical commentaries and early Welsh and Irish myths, she shows that the Druids were fully integrated into Celtic society as judges, teachers, healers, magicians, philosophers, religious leaders and fomenters of rebellion. Including sections on the Classical texts and first-hand accounts of ancient Druids, archaeological evidence, Druidical sacrifice, sanctuaries, shrines, and witches, this book traces the history of the Druids from ancient times to the present day. Modern Druidism and its links with Stonehenge and Avebury receive full coverage and a directory of modern Druidical societies reveals a worldwide phenomenon. Special features cover the celebrity Druids, ranging from Winston Churchill, to William Blake, to William Wordsworth. Complete with timeline and a gazeteer, this meticulously researched book should appeal to scholars, New Age enthusiasts and all those who are fascinated by the Druids and their world.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting,,
By
This review is from: Exploring The World Of , " The Druids " : (Paperback)
I actually quite enjoyed reading this book, it seemed to be more interested in archaeology rather than some neo-pagan books which try to re-invent druidry without informing readers on their sources. And whilst I cannot comment on the scholarly-ness of the text as other reviews might, I thought it was a reasonable effort - and containing quite a balanced view of neo-druidry in the final chapters. I think with this book it depends on what you are looking for , certainly there many photos and examples of archaeological finds and I think how you find this book depends a lot what you have already assumed or have been told about the Druids either rightly or wrongly.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Druids in Prehistory, History, Myth & Modernity,
By
This review is from: Exploring The World Of , " The Druids " : (Paperback)
Miranda Green is probably the most knowledgeable scholar currently working on the Celtic Iron Age and has written numerous books on the period, so she was an obvious choice to write about the Druids for this series. The series as a whole is designed to make history as accessible as possible to a wide readership, hence the ample illustrations and frequent use of text boxes to give something like a magazine-style layout. The illustrations are, on the whole, well-chosen, many in colour and go well beyond the usual ones found in every other book on Druids. The text is informative and informed by recent developments in the field of Celtic studies. It is especially good on the archaeology and mythology. One or two errors creep in in the section on modern Druidry, but this is hardly surprising. It's difficult enough for modern Druids themselves to work out the difference between the Ancient Order of Druids and the Ancient Druid Order. All in all, a very good, wide-ranging, accessible introduction to the subject.
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite what I was expecting,
By A Customer
This review is from: Exploring the World of the Druids (Hardcover)
Green's book, "Exploring the World of the Druids" is a brief introduction to ancient and modern druids. The scope of her book is quite broad and she undertakes the daunting challenge of exploring over 2000 years of history; the documentation for which is sketchy at best. She touches on topics as diverse as the portrayal of druids in classical literature and the modern Neo-pagan movement. Green draws on a large, although rather ambiguous body of archaeological evidence to complement and enhance the information gleaned from a variety of written sources. She seeks to present a balanced view of the facts citing different opinions and interpretations. All in all, it sounds like the ideal, if rather general, introduction to a fascinating subject. Unfortunately, there are a few key problems with Green's book that make it difficult to recommend to other readers. Green attempts to make history "reader friendly". She does not want to overwhelm her reader with technical jargon and complicated stories. In order to make the sheer mass of subject matter less intimidating, she has broken her book up into bite-size chunks of information that may be considered more digestible. Most of her readers will find, however, that Green fails to strike the right balance necessary to make a general survey of this type work. One can appreciate that sacrifices have to be made in order to cover such a large amount of material, but this book lacks a sense of continuity, making it easy for the reader to put it down at any point without ever feeling the need to pick it up again. The text has a disjointed feel. The paragraphs read like a series of photo captions strung together. While it would be impossible for Green to comment fully on any one of the many topics she introduces in her book, it seems as though she has lost a good deal of valuable space in needless repetition. She quotes the same passages from the same classical writers over and over again in their entirety. Verses 13 and 14 from Caesar's Gallic Wars VI (pg. 10) are repeated over half a dozen times throughout the book. It is important to draw the reader's attention back to these key quotes, but one would imagine that a reference to the original citation would suffice. Green's book touches on a number of interesting points. She is obviously working with a wealth of information and must be quite knowledgeable about her subject. She has the makings for a wonderful book on the revival of Druidism in the late 19th/early 20th century. Unfortunately, "Exploring the World of the Druids" fails to draw the reader in.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Archaeology > By Period > Celtic, Saxon, Viking & Nordic
- Books > History > Archaeology > By Region > European
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > History > Religious History > Other Religions
- Books > History > World History
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Earth-Based Religions > Druidism
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
