Customer Reviews

The Celts

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This is a very nicely illustrated book, useful for quick reference and short introductory chapters on a wide variety of topics. The book was written to accompany the 'I Celti' exhibit held in Italy in 1990, and presents the work of many European scholars (all in English).

However, this is not really an introductory text. It would be a wonderful companion to a number of syntheses (The Ancient Celts, The European Iron Age, Exploring the World of the Celts, etc.) but the quality and depth of each entry is variable. It is not a book that is conducive to sitting down and reading all the way through, but can be dipped into whenever the need arises.

Still, this one may be worth purchasing for the illustrations alone, as there are many colour pictures throughout.

I was looking for "The Celts" by Otto Frey and found this book "Celts" by Venceslas Kruta. Since this is grouped with the Frey edition and since Kruta is listed as an editor in "The Celts" I thought it perhaps a reprint. It is NOT. Though listed together and given the same reviews by Amazon as the former title, it is a completely individual work. At 250 pages, it is considerably smaller; however, the photographs are larger and well-worth the purchase. The older book has 800 pages and is truly a comprehensive work. I still want to add it to my collection, but this one will do in the meantime.

If you are looking for the Celtic encyclopedia as described in the reviews with information and pictures of just about everything Celtic, make sure you are ordering the edition by Frey at 800 pages. (Also listed here as Hardcover Illustrated and slightly higher-priced. Published by Rizzoli.) If you are looking for an entry-level Celtic photobook with a decent number of beautiful scenery and artifact images, then Kruta's shorter version is sufficient. (Listed as Hardcover 2005 with a lower resell price. Published by Hachette.)

If you have one book about the Celts, it better be this one. It is an encyclopedia....and gives resources to do even further research if you wish. I have four or five books about Celts, and this one has by far more information...it's comprehensive.

A plethora of information adorned with absolutely gorgeous pictures. The only real downside is the massive size of this tome--it's a bit ungainly to sit & read unless you have a lot of table space. Otherwise, a solid piece of work.