Runes (Reading the Past) [Paperback]

R. I. Page (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520061144 | ISBN-13: 978-0520061149 | Publication Date: June 9, 1987

In Orkney, Shetland and the Scottish Islands, in Ireland, the Isle of Man and above all in Scandinavia, travelers still come upon great memorial stones, inscribed with the curious angular alphabet called runes. This is the story of these inscriptions from the earliest Continental carvings of the late second century A.D. through to the Viking age.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (June 9, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520061144
• ISBN-13: 978-0520061149
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness for the unimaginative runologist!, July 29, 2007

By 

Spibbles (the frozen tundra) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Runes (Reading the Past) (Paperback)

I was looking for a simple, straightforward, scholarly book about runes. Something not reeking of New Age "fluffy-mindedness" (as R. I. Page might well call it).

I had no idea how hard such a book would be to find. Virtually every book I encountered here at Amazon spoke of oracles and do-it-yourself spell-casting and higher consciousness and other assorted esoteric mumbo-jumbo. Finally I wised up and went to the "further reading" sections of some of my other Norse-themed books, and R. I. Page's name came up. I searched him out on Amazon, found this book and snatched it up.

And thank goodness for it. This book is a ray of sunshine cutting through the murky, convoluted morass of mystically-oriented rune interpretation. If you're looking for a simple book about runes, REAL runes, REAL artifacts, REAL history, REAL facts, then this is the book for you, period.

If you're looking for directions on how to put a runic curse on your cheating ex-boyfriend, look elsewhere.

It should be noted, as other reviewers have, that the book is not very long--only about 64 pages. But while I'm sure it's not absolutely comprehensive, there's plenty of information here, more than enough for my needs and probably for the needs of most rune-seekers. Thank you R. I. Page!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading, April 18, 2007

By 

S. Plowright (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Runes (Reading the Past) (Paperback)

For anyone interested in the runes for any reason, this book is invaluable. Although it has no esoteric focus, it does contain many important historical facts that will help you to recognise when the more popular authors are making it up, which is more often than you might think.

Unfortunately, Page's books tend to be avoided by those interested in the esoteric side of the runes, merely because he does not subscribe to the more speculative theories of rune magic.

This is a great shame, and would-be "rune-masters" do not do themselves any favours by shunning the painstaking research and detailed knowledge that Page has to offer. Surely, we are better off building on a sound footing of verified fact than starting off our studies from the shaky speculations of New-Age Gurus & cultists. Once you know the basic facts, speculate for yourself, you will then be just as qualified as any esoteric "authority" on runes.

Page's books should be an indispensable part of any serious runic library.

Sweyn Plowright
author of
The Rune Primer

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical and linguistic focus on Runes - not at all New Age, May 1, 2008

By 

Ingela "Ingela" (Sydney, NSW) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Runes (Reading the Past) (Paperback)

This is a good non-nonsense guide to Runes. The author is an academic from Cambridge, which I found comforting because it lends credence to his assertions that he focuses on the evidence and not on the imagination. He gives a solid introduction to the various Runic alphabets (including their phonetic equivalents) and then deals on a chapter by chapter basis with some of the more important Runic inscriptions found in various geographical regions (each region gets its own chapter). If you are interested in Runes from the perspective of history or linguistics then you will find this book a valuable starting point (it is not a long book).
The only reason I am not giving the book 5 stars is because the author is a bit of a cynic and does patronise (if not belittle) New Age interest in Runes somewhat. On this score I feel is just a tad too scathing, but still, other than his (righteous?) scorn, which is only manifest in a few lines here and there, this is an excellent book.