The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Hardcover)

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Review
`absorbing study' Lorn Macintyre, Glasgow Herald

`a scholarly work meticulously detailing the origins of every traditional holiday or ritual day in Britain's history ... As a historical document, the breadth of detail is gripping, but as an exploration of British beliefs over the millenium about to go forever, it's unmissable.' Flic Everett, Manchester Evening News

`an exhaustive account of the traditions and rituals practised in the British Isles from time immemorial to the present' Sybil Owen, Oxford Times

`Hutton's work is not dry as dust but of a piece with the ever-expanding purlieux of social history. He does not string out paragraphs upon a modicum of fact. Each is fertile with detail ... this elegantly produced and remarkably cheap volume will find an honoured place in the library of every self-respecting New Age caravan that is Glastonbury-bound, and, elsewhere, it will command a sale well beyond the run-up to Christmas once known as Advent.' Christopher Hawtree, The Independent

`The Stations of the Sun is a dedicated, meticulous piece of research.' David Woodthorpe, Plymouth Evening Herald

`scholarly, readable history of British seasonal rituals ... Hutton takes us informatively through "the ritual year", from Christmas to Bonfire Night' Paul Barker, The Times

`he seeks ... to put the record straight rather than stir up controversy for the sake of it, and has prduced a work that will be respected for its temperate argument and its prodigious research. From Christmas to Hallowe'en, there is barely a ritual or a custom that escapes his eye in the most detailed book of its kind ever written.' Henry Hardcastle, Evergeen, Autumn 1996

`he seeks ... to put the record straight rather than stir up controversy for the sake of it, and has prduced a work that will be respected for its temperate argument and its prodigious research. From Christmas to Hallowe'en, there is barely a ritual or a custom that escapes his eye in the most detailed book of its kind ever written.' Henry Hardcastle, Evergreen, Autumn 1996

`Ronald Hutton's splendid new book is a comprehensive history of the customs and beliefs whch constitute the ritual year in Britain ... it is a tour de force, from one of the livelist and most wide-ranging of practising English historians ... this is a historical encyclopaedia, unfailingly informative and stimulating; but a connecting thread does run through the book ... This is a welcome work of demystification, bringing the cold light of historical inquiry to bear on an area which has been surrounded with a good deal of pseudo-science and sheer gobbledegook ... this is a marvellously detailed exploration of a now familiar historical pheomenon, the invention of "tradition" ... unfailingly stimulating, learned and engaging book, which places a relatively neglected aspect of English social history firmly on the map.' Times Literary Supplement

`uncovers a mass of fascinating material about rites and festivals, showing how irrepressible such inventiveness remains in spite of globalised entertainment' Marina Warner, Independent on Sunday

Product Description
From the twelve days of Christmas to the Spring traditions of Valentine, Shrovetide, and Easter eggs, through May Day revels and Midsummer fires, and on to the waning of the year, Harvest Home, and Hallowe'en; Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain.
His comprehensive study covers all the British Isles and the whole sweep of history from the earliest written records to the present day. Great and lesser, ancient and modern, Christian and pagan, all rituals are treated with the same attention. The result is a colorful and absorbing history in which Ronald Hutton challenges many common assumptions about the customs of the past and the festivals of the present debunking many myths and illuminates the history of the calendar we live by.
Stations of the Sun is the first complete scholarly work to cover the full span of British rituals, challenging the work of specialists from the late Victorian period onwards, reworking our picture of the field thoroughly, and raising issues for historians of every period.

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover

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10 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   32 of 33 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Source, August 18, 2000 By  Doreen Motheral (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Paperback) This book is a great source for information about British customs and lore. Hutton is excited about his subject and holds it in deep regard all the wile telling us the way it really is. I learned a lot from this book and I consider it essential reading for everyone (especially neo-pagans) who has an interest in this subject. As a neo-pagan I wouldn't want to have this vast subject explained to me in one sentence - I want examples as to why a certain custom or seasonal festival is important/necessary in the wheel of the year. Ialso want sources states because if someone were to just say to me "Everything you have read about British seasonal customs is wrong" I would say, "Prove it". Hutton indeed takes the time to prove his arguments. Hutton isn't against neo-pagans, but he is _for_ scholarship. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   34 of 38 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the holiday year in Britain., October 29, 1999 By  Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Paperback) A very scholarly work on the origins and customs surrounding the holidays in Britain. This book has been a bit of a "tough read" for me as I worked through the dry parts of interest to folklorists between the parts of interest to genealogists. As an American, I had to have Guy Fawkes Night explained to me. As a genealogist working with UK sources, it's nice to understand what Rogationtide and Candlemas are, for instance. In general, the book attempts to overturn the classical folklorist mistakes in the sources and symbolism of holidays dating back to Sir James Frazer's Golden Bough. Not every custom and tradition is a direct descendant of Celtic religious rites. Humanity has been very adaptable to inventing new "old traditions" as the need arises and our earlier ancestors where just as good at fulfilling these needs as were the Victorians who invented our concept of an "old fashioned Christmas". Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Brick of Scholarship, November 19, 2005 By  Brian P. Hudson "Writer@Large" (Dearborn, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       This review is from: Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Paperback) This book is not for a casual reader. It is, instead, a compendium of primary source information for those curious about the calendar year in Britain. It's fascinating scholarship and absolutely authoratative in its research, but not for "just reading"! At some points, the paragraphs are so thick with citations and details that my eyes began to gloss. In general, though, the prose remains readable, even when detailing minutia. I do want to address one criticism from an earlier reviewer, who said this about the book: "Hutton debunks everything he presents; after a while it kind of got on my nerves. Virtually every description and explanation is followed by some sort of 'but this probably didn't happen' or 'this probably wasn't really the way it was' disclaimer. fter reading several chapters, my attitude morphed into 'why are you wasting my time telling me about stuff that didn't happen? Can't you tell me about anything that probably DID happen?'" I'm not sure if this reviewer and I were reading the same book. Yes, Hutton debunks many myths surrounding these customs, but to say that he provides no information on what DID happen, or how it happened, is bunk. The book is thick with information, a real brick of scholarship. There are ten chapters alone on the evidence of various Christmas and New years traditions! Those with a serious interest in the development of many Western calendar customs in Britain (many of which are also the ultimate root of our American traditions) should definitely add this boo to their collections. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 10 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Only what was written after the holocaust was passed The title of this book is very ambitious... and hints at a point of view, or style, maybe that the author doesn't really have. Read more Published 4 months ago by minnow 5.0 out of 5 stars Professor Hutton is a Historical Master! Professor Hutton is a well-spring of information about pagan history. I don't think there is anything he doesn't know! Read more Published 15 months ago by R. Lukas 5.0 out of 5 stars All about the holidays It has become a widespread notion that most of our holiday traditions derive from pagan sources. Not so, Hutton demonstrates. Read more Published 23 months ago by A Skeptical Reader 5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent British scholar, Hope this great book comes back into print here. It's wordy, but I always appreciate the detail and background he provides. Read more Published on January 22, 2003 1.0 out of 5 stars Actually, I returned this book after trying to read it. I was so excited when I found this book! I hate to tell you how disappointed I was when I read it. Many positive reviews are posted here, so maybe I should try it again, but I'm... Read more Published on February 16, 2000 by Liz Williams 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant research This is far and away the best book on the subject! Meticulously researched, I give it my highest recommendation -- especially for Neo-Pagans. Read more Published on October 12, 1998 by jennyg@compuserve.com 5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical study This is probably the most accurate and well-researched book on the history of the ritual year in Britain that you could hope to read. Read more Published on August 22, 1998 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 10 customer reviews...

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