The World of the Druids (Hardcover)

by Miranda J. Aldhouse-Green (Author), Miranda J. Green (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In this copiously illustrated book, Green (Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, LJ 3/1/92) discusses the Druids in depth. She begins by analyzing the classical writings on Druids. She also discusses the role of historical and archaeological analysis, showing how little is known and how scholarly inquiry may or may not arrive at the truth, particularly since the Druids based their learning and training on memorization and the oral tradition. The author examines the archaeological finds and the conclusions drawn from that. She discusses the Druid resurgence in the 19th century and the Druids' role in the 20th-century neopagan movement. Well written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, this work would make an excellent companion to John Matthews's The Druid Source Book (Sterling, 1996). Highly recommended.?Gail Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology Lib., Alfred
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Copiously illustrated ... well written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Irish Books & Media; illustrated edition edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 050005083X
• ISBN-13: 978-0500050835
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #822,506 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best , October 8, 2004

By	Lisa L. Spangenberg - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Green has solid Celtic studies credentials and her previous books, like the Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend (Thames and Hudson) were exemplary in terms of quality photographs and helpful bibliography. I therefore had, perhaps unfairly, high expectations for Green's The World of the Druids. Though there is a fair amount of text on each page, most of the emphasis is on the images and their captions. The captions often reinforce the impression that the non-artifact images created by artists like Gustav Dore and Fuseli are legitimate sources of data about historic druids, when they are at best sources of data about romantic nineteenth century presentation and imaginative views regarding druids.

Much of what Green has to say is speculation, presented as fact or scholarly hypothesis, like her ruminations on druidic prayer: "Druids and their peers would have conducted solemn prayer rituals for the whole tribe or community on important occasions. Lesser priests might lead small communities in prayer, and the head of the household perhaps led private family prayers" (32). Unfortunately, there really isn't a lot of data one way or the other about druid praying in the pre-Christian era. Green makes such assertions without referring to sources or even using the resources of comparative religion as support. There are a number of similar problems.

Green is at her best in The World of the Druids in her discussions of archaeology, and at her worst in discussions of myth and literature. Her chapter on sacred places is particularly well done, but not by itself worth the price of the book. She does include a brief survey of modern druid groups' beliefs and a directory of neo-pagan druid groups, but readers would probably do better to use the web to find Neo-Pagan druid resources since addresses and contact people change so quickly. The gazetteer of Celtic museums in the back of the book is a very useful list, and quite nicely done, though I wish her bibliography had been a bit more extensive.

I think in Green's efforts to relate to a new audience, specifically Neo-Pagan and new age readers, she missed her target by "dumbing down." Green would have done better to have written a well-bibliographied introduction to druids along the lines of The World of the Celts or her Dictionary of Celtic Myth books. I think that Neo-Pagan readers can readily find enough unscholarly material about druids; what they need is access to well-researched and cited books directing them to additional sources. Unless you already have Piggott's The Druids, and Green's World of the Celts, I'd give The World of the Druids a miss.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal introduction to the subject of druids past and present, February 15, 2000

By	Francine Nicholson (New England) - See all my reviews

Do you have an interest in the druids past and present? Do you want to know the facts, not someone's romanticized version of them? Then this book is what you are looking for. Dr. Green presents the evidence with accuracy and sensitivity, describing what is known about the druids before the coming of Christianity (which is actually very little), the evidence of the medieval tales and saints' lives (which is suspect), and the efforts to revive "druidry" since the Renaissance. The illustrations are carefully described, appropriate to the text, and beautifully reproduced. My only complaint is that Dr. Green's description of modern druids mainly covers groups in the UK, with little acknowledgement that groups exist worldwide. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this volume as an ideal introduction to the subject for yourself or as a gift.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, well presented, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

I never give anything a full 5 stars, but this book was wonderful --though I read the European edition which was released a month before this one by the name "Exploring the World of the Druids". This book was presented wonderfully; easy to read for anyone with plenty of facts (none which I've found wrong so far, only a conflicting fact stating that Ogham was most likely created in the 4th century C.A. rather than the 3rd at Miranda Green states) on both ancient and modern druids. If you have the slightest interest in Druids, this is a wonderful book.