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The Celts [Hardcover]

Vencesclas Kruta (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

June 15, 1993
Before its decline in the first century B.C., the Celtic world stretched from the British Isles to the Carpathian Mountains and Asia Minor, and the Celts possessed their own vital and highly original civilization, revealed in the rich profusion of ornamental motifs that decorate Celtic weapons and artefacts. Their traditions live on in customs, names, and crafts, and they contributed greatly to the formation of Europe.

Archaeological excavations have recovered some of the beautiful treasures of the Celts, as well as much evidence of their social and economic life. This revised paperback edition of the landmark volume that accompanied an exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi takes the reader on a voyage through many eras, places, and themes to rediscover the story of a people still in some ways shrouded in mystery. It reveals the aggressive voyages of the Celts to the shores of foreign civilizations, and evidence of their great sophistication-- the Gallic calendar, their advanced agricultural techniques, their craftsmanship and metalwork. Written by scholars in the field, this is the ideal handbook on the Celtic culture.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This massive project--140 essays, nearly 1000 color illustrations, covering 800 pages--is an invaluable compendium that issues a significant corrective to the story of the settling of Western Europe. The Celtic civilization, in the popular mind long identified with the insular peoples of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany, has for a good part of a century been known to have far deeper roots in the heart of Europe. But the Celtic ways--oral traditions without a written literature and a famous druidic secrecy--made substantiation of this fact difficult. Collected here are the fruits of archeological digs of the 20th century, which through comparison dating of carved objects, cemeteries, bogs and ironwork have demonstated conclusively that the Celtic civilization was indeed a major influence in the development of the continent. A rugged people given to warring and mercenary work, located in the northern and eastern Alps circa the sixth century B.C., the Celts moved through France, Italy, Africa and finally to Britannia. One discovers here that not until the 1940s was a specific category of Celtic art in pre-Roman continental Europe identified; a convincing case for the aesthetic vision of the Celtic community is made. Readers should be warned: the texts are not popular history or archeology; they are larded with the presumptions of a close-knit, scholarly audience. Nonetheless, the tremendous scope and comprehensiveness of this volume offers something for everyone interested in the Celtic tradition. There is even a chapter on bogs. Kruta is professor at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris; Frey at Philipps-Universitat, Marburg; Raftery at University College, Dublin; and Szabo at University of Budapest.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This lavishly illustrated volume (1100 illustrations, 975 in color) serves as a worthy companion to a unique, major exhibition ("The Celts, the Origins of Europe," Palazzo Grassi, Venice, March-December 1991) involving over 200 European museums. The Celts is composed of more than 100 well-written short articles by various scholars covering all aspects of Celtic civilization including recent studies on specific aspects of Celtic art, history, archaeology, and culture. It begins with the ancient, prehistoric origins of the Celts in Central and Eastern Europe, continues by covering their expansions throughout history as far as the Iberian peninsula and the British Isles, and ends with articles on the modern Celts and the vestiges of the ancient civilization with us today. An excellent coffee-table type book, this is recommended for most libraries.
- Paula I. Nielson, Loyola Marymount Univ. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 800 pages
  • Publisher: Rizzoli (June 15, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0847814076
  • ISBN-13: 978-0847814077
  • Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.7 x 2.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Celts is the definitive book on the history of all Celts, March 23, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Celts (Hardcover)
This is by far the most thorough book on the Celtic people who once inhabited all of Europe. The authors cover their history, art, archaeological digs, clothing, food, migration paths, jewelry, and everything else having to do with the Celtic people. When they discuss the early Celtic religions, they are honest enough to say that very little is actually known. The Celts is a treasure trove of fascinating information. I would highly recommend this book. It is worth every penny!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars confusion: 240-pp. coffee-table book or 800-pp. collection of essays?, November 19, 2008
This review is from: Celts (Hardcover)
Amazon has unfortunately confused two books here. The picture, authors and publication information belong to a beautiful, large 240-p book showcasing images of Celtic works of art shot by three superb object photographers. The single author is Venceslas Kruta, who sprinkles in a bit of text. Specs: Published by Hachette Illustrated UK (March 7, 2005). ISBN-10: 1844300986 ISBN-13: 978-1844300983

Unfortunately, most of the reviews, the "Look inside" and other links belong to a completely different book, "The Celts" by Sabatino Moscati and three other editors, one of whom is also Kruta, published to accompany an exhibition in Venice in 1991 and ca. 800 pages long! The specs on the condensed paperback: 720 pages, Rizzoli International Publications (March 15, 1998), ISBN-10: 0847821935, ISBN-13: 978-0847821938 --
http://www.amazon.com/Celts-Sabatino-Moscati/dp/0847821935/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1

The problem is that with this confusion, the vendors are likely to send you any book other than the one you want, so it's best to contact them directly.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for the Celtophile., April 7, 2005
This review is from: The Celts (Paperback)
Although I would not recommend this book for the beginner it is an excellent and comprehensive work. As it is a compilation of articles by many authors I found some of the chapters uneven in their quality but this is a slight quibble.

The book is lavishly illustrated with quality illustrations and photographs. A good read as well as a good reference book.

Recommended.
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