Customer Reviews

Runes (Reading the Past)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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

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.

Raymond Ian Page is one of the world's great runologists. Here, in an inexpensive book, he has done a superlative job of presenting a thumbnail history of runes. *This is Not New Age Material*!!! Therefore, I recommend this book especially to any New Ager "Out There", so that you can see what was historical reality and fact about these fascinating characters. Were I to teach a college/university course on runes, this would be a required textbook!

I tend to agree with previous reviewers that this book is somewhat simplistic and does not deal with all aspects of runic lore. At the same time, come on, it is only 64 pages long, including the Index! That said, it's an excellent introduction to runes. Author R.I. Page has excellent credentials - Elrington and Bosworth Professor Anglo-Saxon at Cambridge - and I have the feeling that he's attempting to make the scholarly aspect of runes a little more accessible to the common reader. Use this book to pique your interest, and to get a broad, GENERAL idea of what runology and runes encompasses. After that, if you're still interested, look for more specific books. Like a nother reviewer, I recommend Stephen Flowers in particular.

Essentially, Page just wants to get us through about millennium and a half of runic history in the whole of Europe, so he cannot possibly dive into major details. Like I said, I think it's a great introduction - its scope is huge and could get you started on an aspect that he doesn't deal with directly - but if you want to know more than the superficial, then it's not going to help you, especially if you already know a lot about runes.

I thought this book was quite useful as an introduction to the exoteric side of runelore. It seemed to me to be a basic overview of facts generally overlooked by the esoteric runologists (in particular the Christian use of runes on crosses, graves, and the like).

At the same time, I felt that the author went out of his way to discredit those who see a more esoteric side to the runes and this hostility put me off a little.

All in all, I think it is a worthwhile book and a decent introduction to a school of thought which holds that most runic finds are entirely mundane. A great number of monuments are covered, and anyone interested in runes can get a great deal out of this short book.

While Page is a runic scholar and an historian, not a believer in the metaphysical aspects of runes, if you are serious about runelore you must have this in your collection. Only one who understands the historical, cultural and mythological background to the runes can be a true rune-master.

A much needed and delightful deep breath of dank, musty & scholarly air! Amid the reek of incense, scented candles and personal conversations with the Gods, this book stands far above most of the books on Runes that are currently available. While a rather short work, Professor Page's no nonsense mastery of Runic history and characteristics is very refreshing. While I disagree with some of the Authors views on the mystic side of Runeology, his superior knowledge of runic history and interpretation cannot be dismissed or ignored.

All and all a very informative, concise and historical look at the Runes. A must for anyone interested in Norse History, Mythology or Religion. I highly recommend it.

In Frith,
Spence the Elder

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc"
M. Addams

I find that this book is an important addition to one's collection of rune books.

Unlike many of the books on runes, R.I. Page takes an extremely mundane and scholarly viewpoint. In fact, he dismisses any claims that runes were used for magic waving off the fanciful opinions of "imaginative runesters."

This is my only complaint about the author is that he turns a blind eye to the magical practices of ancient people who, no doubt, did use runes for magical purposes. Never mind what modern people practice. That said, I think that this is a good counterpoint to a lot of the books on the market that only focus on the magical and/or divinatory aspects of the runes.

So if you are looking for a book on rune magic, look elsewhere. However, you will find an excellent, historically based, introduction to the runes.

I found Mr. Page's book to be well written with clear and consise information. This book is very good for research material on the subject of runes. I am reluctant to give this book top rating as the information was to simplistic in certain areas. Additionally, I found that I had to supplement this book with other sources. Over all I was very satisfied with the text.