Secrets of the Druids [Hardcover]

John Matthews (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2002

An in-depth study of the history, lore, and tradition of Celtic philosophy and religion, this beautifully designed book offers a fascinating look of the mysterious ways of the Druids.

John Matthews is the author of more than fifty books on Celtic and Arthurian History and related subjects. He is a prominent lecturer and teacher in the United States and Europe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although they left no writings of their own, the Druids have had a profound impact on modern culture. Largely forgotten by a Christianized Europe, this ancient Celtic priestly caste has reemerged as avatars of eco-friendly spirituality, potent symbols of what many feel is missing in a rational and industrialized world. This informative compendium of scholarly articles, stories and poetry explores the legacy, real and mythical, of these enigmatic people. A large selection of historical writings illustrates the changing perceptions of the Druids through the centuries. They were disdained as bloodthirsty barbarians by the Roman writers who provide our (meager) historical accounts of them, but lionized by 17th- to 19th-century "antiquarian romantics" who essentially invented much of our modern notion of hooded, tree-worshipping sorcerers. The editor, a practicing Druid, also includes more sober but still readable academic studies that explore Druidic beliefs and rites and the legacy of Merlin legends, prophetic seers, weird dreams and witchy women inherited from Druidic motifs. Rounding out the anthology (which gathers selections from three earlier volumes, including The Druid Source Book and The Celtic Source Book) is a strong selection of legends, myths and poems, most from ancient and medieval Ireland and Wales, but including some modern writers inspired by the plangent tone and haunting, sometimes surreal imagery of early Celtic literature. Devotees of Druid philosophy, lovers of Gaelic lore and those interested in our very modern nostalgia for an enchanted past will all enjoy this book. Illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

John Matthews is the author of more than fifty books on Celtic and Arthurian History and related subjects. He is a prominent lecturer and teacher in the United States and Europe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (April 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579122329
• ISBN-13: 978-1579122324
• Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,185,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Compilation of Matthew's Source Book Series, sadly lacking, February 6, 2003

By 

Andrea Acailawen (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of the Druids (Hardcover)

Just barely three stars.

A Compilation Book drawn from his first three books in the "Source Book" series (The Druid Source Book, The Celtic Seers' Source Book, and the Bardic Source Book), Secrets of the Druids is a scaled back (abridged) tour through the trilogy.

This text covers writings from the Classical commentators, Celtic Folklore, various stories and interpretations regarding the Druids, Seers and Bards of Celtic & Gaelic tradition, in that order.

Since this book is a compilation geared toward a general audience, it lacks many of the footnotes and details in the original three books, so you have to refer to the original texts to find many of the references or sources for the material. There is also no index, which is rather annoying, as it makes it very difficult to find material in the book when you're searching for it.

John Matthew's translations are mostly reasonable, but some of his interpretations of these tales are a little far reaching. If you can put aside some of the commentary, and don't mind the other issues already mentioned, there are some interesting stories presented, but I've seen much better books on the subject.

"Secrets of the Druids" is geared for a general audience, rather than for scholarly study/reference, and it highlights what the author considers the best of his works in one concise, easier to read source book. As it stands, there is a lot of interesting information in this book, but you have to search elsewhere to find out where much of it comes from and you can't rely on Matthew's interpretations.

I definitely prefer the individual three source books over this compilation for the footnotes and index this text lacks (with their own inherent limitations considered), but, if you don't mind doing further research, and can keep track of where everything is, it's decent (just).

Unfortunately, if you've already read the other volumes, you will also find little new material is covered in this compilation. It's a compilation, nothing more.

All and all, this text may be enteraining for someone new to Druidic studies and Celtic Folklore, but for those who've studied a bit more, it's really lacking.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Lukewarm Reaction, February 4, 2003

By 

E. M. Hodge "Cuindless" (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of the Druids (Hardcover)

As a fairly serious student of John and Caitlin Matthews many works, I must say I was rather disappointed by this latest one. As has been previously stated, the material has already been covered in his three volume series of sourcebooks. Besides that, the material is, in my opinion, poorly arranged and incredibly dull. Add to this the fact that many of the sources are questionable in both authenticity and scholarly value, and you have a poor book from an otherwise outstanding author. If you have need of an impressive looking reference book, then by all means pick this book up. If you're looking for an exciting read on the Druids, this is not it.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Greatly disapointing, December 6, 2002

By 

Merlyn Carey (Newton, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of the Druids (Hardcover)

What a waste of money, If you read the Matthews work seriously you'll already have the three books that this book is pulled from.
If you don't read their work seriously the book is disjointed and dry.
Sadly the newest thing about the book itself is a nice cover and a few new drawing that look great. The drawing are repeated in the book wasting space,and the cover is destroyed when you try to take the shrink-wrap off that it ships in. I can understand the reason for the shrink wrap, if I saw this book in a store I would never of bought it. With the wrapping you can be fooled into thinking this is a new piece of work.
I would strongly suggest spending money on either the three book set the Matthews have done, (Sourcebooks for Druids, Seers, and Bards) or buying a more "user-friendly" book on the basics. In either case don't waste the money on this watered down version.