The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales (Celtic Studies Publications (Series), 1.) [Paperback]

John T. Koch (Editor), John Carey (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Celtic Studies Pubns (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964244608
• ISBN-13: 978-0964244603
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,119,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable resource for students of Celtic history, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales (Celtic Studies Publications (Series), 1.) (Paperback)

I studied under Prof. Koch in college and was among the "guinea pig" group who used the first printing of this book in class. I wisely kept the book after I graduated, and it has come in very handy for personal research and reference when arguing minutiae of Celtic history with other dilettantes. There is a wealth of uncommon and obscure information in the book, all free of editorialization and personal biases or opinions by the editors.

Readers looking for books to curl up with, be warned: this isn't a straight narrative, but consists instead of fragments and annotations from primary and secondary sources dating back 2,000 years, from the first encounters with the people from mainland Europe whom the Greeks called "Keltoi" to Medieval stories about the Cornish King Arthur and his knights.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales (Celtic Studies Publications (Series), 1.) (Paperback)

Although I don't have any formal academic background in Celtic Studies, I found this book to be very approachable. It gives easy-to-follow translations of the original text alongside fascinating insights on ancient Britain and Ireland. For the hobbyist it can be hard to find books on Celtic lore which both are readable and have substance -- this does both nicely.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE sourcebook for serious Celtic studies, March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales (Celtic Studies Publications (Series), 1.) (Paperback)

I have used this book in my classes on Celtic literature and mythology, and have found nothing else comes close for classical and medieval sources on the Celts. It is a collection of translated original material to be used by those interested in real, as opposed to fanciful, Celtic studies.