Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide [Paperback]

John King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

New paperback edition of a successful and praised hardback Conveys sound historical information and explains real legacy and mythological representations of Celtic kingship Highly recommended status from Library Journal when hardback published/distributed in USA by Sterling

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Interest in things Celtic has grown in the last generation, with an increasingly political aspect, for example in the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and the enhanced status granted to the Welsh language. The claims of the Celtic nations often stem from medieval and earlier events, many of which are poorly documented. King, a writer, teacher, and speaker of Cornish, a Celtic language revived in this century, has written a readable and informative introduction to the Celtic kingdoms. He gives clear descriptions of distant and complicated periods and also discusses major mythological or semihistorical figures like Cuhullain and King Arthur. Most titles in the field cover a specific area, but King provides a more general survey, discussing not only Ireland, Scotland, and Wales but Brittany and Cornwall as well. The book includes helpful maps, illustrations, and reasonable notes for a general work, plus several lists, such as the Irish High Kings and principal Scottish clans. Highly recommended for Celtic collections.ACharles V. Cowling, Drake Memorial Lib., Brockport, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sterling Publishing (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713726938
• ISBN-13: 978-0713726930
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kingdoms of the Celts by John King, May 10, 2000

By 

Michael G. Caley (Trabuco Canyon, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide (Paperback)

The most comprehensive history of the Celts I've seen yet. Even as a college major in Medieval History, I found much about the amazing Celts that I had never heard before. Well documented and scholarly without being a bore. Fascinating reading for anyone who thinks he knows the Celts.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to the Celtic spirit, October 10, 2001

By 

Pagan Vixen (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide (Paperback)

I found this to be an excellently researched book. I always enjoy John King's work on subjects Celtic. I find it ironic that someone who is a self-styled "iron age archeologist" to be so ignorant of their subject. No one is exactly sure when or where the Celtic people came from. The earliest evidence goes back as far as 1200 BC. Most begin counting the Celts as a people and a distinct culture from the Hallstatt era where we have evidence of trade in salt from 1000 BC. One could even go so far as to say that Celtic culture still exists. If you asked those fighting for Scottish or Irish independence and their own Parliaments they would give you a good argument for it. The Celts could hardly be said to have gone unnoticed for centuries. From the medieval period on the British did their damnedest to practice wholesale genocide and oppression of the Celtic people of the former countries of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and the Islands.

Yes, the Celtic people adapted to those who invaded their homelands from the Romans to the Saxons to the Christian missionaries. However, they usually left just as big an imprint on those who conquered. The Christian monks of the Medieval period have recorded for eternity the beliefs and myths of the Celtic people. The tales of King Arthur and many modern folktales have Celtic roots.

For an iron age culture the Celtic people have had enormous impact on us, their descendants, even to this day. Mr. King's book is a tribute to the undying spirit of the Celtic people. It is a must read for those interested in the beliefs and practices of the Celts and their legacy to us. They have shaped our modern ideas and ideals more than we might realize.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in archaeology and cultural perspective, May 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide (Paperback)

Books like this merely perpetuate the popular misconception of the Celts as a timless society that kept the same culture and traditions throughout 1,500 years of contact and conquest by foreign cultures.

The mythologies of Chuchulain and Arthur have very little to do with the pre-Roman Iron Age Europeans. King has done the same thing as many other authors who are pandering to an interest in all things 'Celtic': he created a false link between many different societies that only serves to conceal the reality of the Celts.

This is far more useful to someone studying the Dark Ages, Early Christian Ireland, and the early Middle Ages than to the investigation of the Celts (who lived from approximately 500 BC to the Roman invasions - they did not just get moved into increasingly marginal areas and thrive unnoticed for centuries!!).

As an Iron Age archaeologist, I find the misinformation that's rehashed in popular books on the Celts to be appalling in their lack of true historical and anthropological perspective. 'Kingdoms of the Celts' has done nothing to dispell this trend.