Barry Otto Books

A plethora of information adorned with absolutely gorgeous pictures. The only real downside is the massive size of this tome--it's a bit ungainly to sit & read unless you have a lot of table space. Otherwise, a solid piece of work.

This is by far the most thorough book on the Celtic people who once inhabited all of Europe. The authors cover their history, art, archaeological digs, clothing, food, migration paths, jewelry, and everything else having to do with the Celtic people. When they discuss the early Celtic religions, they are honest enough to say that very little is actually known. The Celts is a treasure trove of fascinating information. I would highly recommend this book. It is worth every penny!

This is a very nicely illustrated book, useful for quick reference and short introductory chapters on a wide variety of topics. The book was written to accompany the 'I Celti' exhibit held in Italy in 1990, and presents the work of many European scholars (all in English).

However, this is not really an introductory text. It would be a wonderful companion to a number of syntheses (The Ancient Celts, The European Iron Age, Exploring the World of the Celts, etc.) but the quality and depth of each entry is variable. It is not a book that is conducive to sitting down and reading all the way through, but can be dipped into whenever the need arises.

Still, this one may be worth purchasing for the illustrations alone, as there are many colour pictures throughout.

Although I would not recommend this book for the beginner it is an excellent and comprehensive work. As it is a compilation of articles by many authors I found some of the chapters uneven in their quality but this is a slight quibble.
The book is lavishly illustrated with quality illustrations and photographs. A good read as well as a good reference book.
Recommended.