France Books

The two greatest land battles of English/British arms are universally thought to be Waterloo and Agincourt. Charles Spencer and others (including Winston Churchill) would add Blenheim as the third greatest battle in the list. Louis XIV (the "Sun King" of France) was dominant in European power and had been for a couple of decades. He was an imperialist at heart, taking land when it suited him, on the flimsiest of pretexts. When the inbred and sickly Hapsburg king of Spain died without direct heir, Louis decided it was time to put a Bourbon king (i.e. his own family line) on the throne of Spain. This naturally angered the other Hapsburg monarch - the Holy Roman Emporer (leader of what was later known as Austria-Hungary) and would result in Louis's power increasing significantly, both in Europe and the Americas. Thus, the Emporer and the British, whose Dutch-descended King William III had long fought Louis as Prince William of Orange, formed an alliance to combat this new threat from Louis.

Charles Spencer is known to most as the 9th Earl Spencer, sister of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. His well-spoken and eloquent eulogy of his sister is an indication of his ability as a narrator. Fortunately, Spencer does not herein rely on his titles, nor on the fact he is a descendant of the winning British general: John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. Instead, knowing the book will only be judged by his ability as a writer and historian, he presents a very readable and enjoyable depiction of the battle between the two Allied armies - commanded by Marlborough and the Imperial general Prince Eugène, and the opposing Franco-Bavarian forces. Taking place in and around the Bavarian village of Blindheim (Anglicised to Blenheim), the Austro-British forces are outnumbered and facing a foe that has not lost a major engagement for a generation. Included in the French ranks are a number of highly-decorated regiments (both of infantry and cavalry). Unfortunately for the French, they are badly outgeneralled, especially in the centre of the line where Marshall Tallard faces Marlborough. The English general has rapidly gained a reputation for initiative, timing, and daring only equalled by Prince Eugène, who is left to pin down the flank against a second French army and the Bavarians.

Spencer wisely takes a third of the book to set the scene - i.e., the politics of the age. No account of the battle would be complete without a detailed look at the people involved, of course, so much of the narrative alternates between the setup of the political situation and the personalities of the people involved. John Churchill was much maligned by both parliament (because his anscestors fought for the crown in the Civil War) and the protestant King William III (because he so easily switched allegiances to himself from the Catholic Charles II after Charles was deposed). It was not until Anne, protestant daughter to Charles II and sister-in-law to William III, came to the throne that Churchill rose to become commander of the British army. This did nothing to placate his detractors, of course, and he was dogged continually by his enemies. Spencer manages to avoid sounding the champion of his anscestor, instead presenting these facts in a straightforward but very readable fashion.

Similarly, when we move into the campaign phase of the book, and that of the Battle of Blenheim itself, we get to see the conflict from all sides - in the camps of all five armies present, and from the generals to the non-commisioned officers, many of whom kept diaries of the events (presumably many in the lowest ranks were illiterate and couldn't keep diaries).

There aren't a lot of accounts of the Battle of Blenheim (compared to, say, Waterloo), but this is a good read for anyone interested in the era, or in European history in general. Especially for those shy about tackling Winston Churchill's mammoth biography of Marlborough (which is also hard to find), this book gives a good description of the man, his age, and the battle he is most famous for winning.

At the end of the 17th century Louis XIV of France was at the peak of his power, the most powerful sovereign in Europe whose power was enforced by an victorious army with a reputation for being unbeatable. With the rise of his relative to the throne of Spain and his coercion of Bavaria into his sphere of influence it seemed that total dominance of Europe was within his grasp.

The fact that this did not come to pass was the result of the formation of the Grand Alliance by William III of England, combining the forces of England, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch free states.

The leadership of the Anglo Dutch forces was entrusted to John Churchill the Duke of Marlborough a handsome dashing General of only limited military experience. It was Marlborough who devised and implemented the daring plan to march across Europe to attack Frances ally Bavaria thereby relieving the threat of invasion from Vienna the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. A march which would ultimately see him join forces with the Imperial army commanded by the proven and driven General Eugene of Savoy to confront the Franco Bavarian forces near the village of Blenheim.

The resulting battle displayed the qualities of both of the allied commanders, Marlborough's dash and daring, his command of the battlefield, his husbanding of resources and the judgment which allows him to unleash them to the greatest effect and Eugene's tactical genius, charisma and steely resolve to achieve victory no matter the odds or the cost.

Overall this book provides a well written narrative of a battles which has been largely forgotten, which changed the face of Europe.

Based on diaries and letters of the participants and other sources, Charles Spencer gives a very readable, informative account, not only of the Battle of Blenheim, but of a whole period of history. BLENHEIM, BATTLE FOR EUROPE, is the story of how two friends and military geniuses, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy spoiled the Sun King's splendor. Louis XIV's army, considered invincible for forty years, was crushed at Blenheim, a small Bavarian village on the Danube, signaling that the Sun King would not conquer the Continent. Mr Spencer describes not only the everyday lot of the common soldier: his arms, medical treatment and food, but he also delves into the personalities of the major participants involved, from the Sun King to the field generals to Sarah, Marlborough's wife. This is popular history at its best, although the term "popular history" somehow seems dismissive; would it be that all history was written as well and as entertainingly. The book comes with color reproductions of portraits, three maps, including two battle maps showing positions and movements of troops, and order of battle and unit strength tables, useful for those who might like to recreate the battle as a simulation. He also describes the battlefield terrain quite well and the morale and quality of certain troops. Valuable as a reference, once read for pleasure, I recommend BLENHEIM highly.

"Blenheim: Battle for Europe" by Charles Spencer is a riveting account of that great battle fought between Allied forces under the command of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and the French Army of Louis XIV on August 13, 1704. This is a splendidly told story, not only covering this pivotal battle but the events leading up to it and the main characters involved, including my favourite, Prince Eugene of Savoy.

This battle possibly changed the course of European history with the near destruction of Louis XIV's army. Up to this point the French Army under the command of many capable marshals had never been beaten. It was virtually unstoppable until it met Marlborough, the Captain-General of the armies fighting against France. In this book Charles Spencer describes the outcome of that meeting at Blenheim.

The story telling is first-rate, the narrative flows fast and smoothly, is packed full of information but never over-loads the reader with too much. The colour plates are excellent and the maps sufficient for the story however I would have appreciated maybe a few more.

The account of the fighting is excellent and once you start reading it's hard to stop. The narrative drags you into the fighting as the allied infantry assaults the villages of Blenheim and Oberglau and then mass in the centre for the decisive offensive that was to break the back of the French forces. In the end the allies lost 12,000 men killed and wounded but the French lost more than three times that number.

This is an excellent account and adds much to the military history of this period, no decent library should be without a copy on their shelves.

Though Blue Trout and Black Truffles is billed as Culinary journey, and it is at that, it is also something completely unexpected, an introduction to European life in the 1920s through 1940s. The exploration of food and wine is coupled with vibrant characters and unforgettable settings.

What a romp in the world of food! You'll feel satisfied at the end of the book... like a good meal.

Wechsberg's book is an established classic on a par with those of A. J. Liebling and Waverly Root. Like those other authors, Wechsberg was a journalist who wrote about food, restaurants, and food cultures in the mid-20th century, and his insights and great storytelling give the writing a permanent appeal. This can be seen from the reaction after this essay collection (whose chapters were originally written as magazine articles) appeared in this reprint edition in the mid-1980s. I was at a Christmas party with some accomplished food folks, including Paul Bertolli of the Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and was recounting to someone one of the stories ("Tafelspitz for the Hofrat") from this book. When I finished I found that most of the room was listening, and that many of them, independently, had recently read the book too. That particular essay, by the way, has lately been re-discovered in Vienna, where it was set, and has been proudly adopted by some restaurants there. In this book Wechsberg interviewed, and popularized to US readers, the legendary Fernand Point, chef and owner of the 20th-century's most famous and influential restaurant in France (and for whom the _Guide Michelin_ reportedly debated adding a fourth star to their rating system for premium restaruants). Some of the chapters are interviews, some experiences and some celebrations of food. This book is well known and indispensable to food fanatics and those seeking more of the background and context from which contemporary western culinary culture -- high cuisine as well as comfort food -- emerged.

Wechsberg's name ought to be mentioned alongside M.F.K. Fischer's. His writing is evocative, precise, and vivid. Reading this book makes me wish I could board a time machine and eat in the restaurants he described in the 1950s. Like many Viennese, Wechsberg loves the old city, the city that vanished after the wars, and resurrects it in memory.

This is an incredible book. It's just that simple. The level of detail and precision of the research involved is better than any other "battle" book I've ever read, air or ground.
But if there is any criticism of this book to be had it is just that, there is so much information here that it can be a bit overwhelming. Not to say that it isn't well written, it most assuredly is, but it is not a book for someone with a casual interest in the air war or someone looking for some light reading on WWII.
Bodenplatte was the ill conceived last gasp of a desperate Lufwaffe. And while it succeeded in causing considerable damage at some fields even if it had done so everywhere it would have still proven a pyrrhic victory as it killed very few allied personnel, mostly it destroyed equipment... equipment that, at that point in the war, the Allies could rapidly and easily replace. But it was a fascinating battle, and if you want to understand what happened and why it happened, this is the book to read.

Bodenplatte is an excellent book and very interesting, the more so since I was at Eindhoven on New Year's day 1945 and was wounded with many others. I can certainly confirm the verocity of the attack.

Hikoki Publications has a well-deserved reputation for producing high-quality military aviation history books.

BODENPLATTE is a perfect example of Hikoki's commitment to quality. There have been other books on the Luftwaffe's ill-fated attacks on Allied airfields on 1 January 1945, most notably Norman Frank's book, but the Manrho and Putz book must stand as the definitive book on the subject.

The depth of research in this book is truly impressive. Comments from dozens of German and Allied personnel help trace the fate of each Jagdgeschwader over France, Belgium and Holland. The book's final chapter detailing actual losses on both sides is especially helpful in showing what a pyrrhic victory Bodenplatte was for the Luftwaffe.

The book is well-illustrated with over 400 photos, including shots of Luftwaffe aircraft caught in the act of strafing Allied airfields. (I wish Hikoki had included color profiles of some of the FW 190s and Me 109s involved but that's a minor quibble).

In short, Buy this book! Military aviation history doesn't get much better than this!

Bodenplatte proves to be Luftwaffe's last major aerial offensive of World War II and this book shows why this raid proves to be so ill-fated, ill conceived and badly planned. Superbly researched by the two authors with hundreds of first hand accounts that gives much clarity to this often overlooked one day effort that totally compromised the Luftwaffe military effort along the western front for the rest of the war.

The book is divided so each fighter wing (Jagdgeschwader) who took part of the operation had their own chapter. Each chapter shows how they prepared and how they fared during the New Year Day raid. As in most cases, these Jagdgeschwaders did not fared very well at all. It pretty interesting to read that almost 50% of all Luftwaffe losses were due to anti-aircraft, mostly Allied although German lost some more to their own anti-aircraft units. The lost of German pilots proves to be the hinchpin of doom for the Luftwaffe while Allies easily replaced all pilots and planes lost in that raid.

The book read pretty well, there are over 400 black and white photos that goes with the account given and many of photos proves to be interesting ones. The book is written with certain German centric point of view although first hand accounts were given from both sides. There is also a very detail appendixs of who shot down who, what unit lost what planes and pilots and host of other material that reflect on the details of the raid. The research, as I write again, proves to be superb.

If there was a weakness, I would say that the maps could have been better design. Also, this book wasn't meant to be read by beginner reader. The authors fully expect their readers to understand the full aspect of World War II history during this period and readily be able to tell the difference between a FW190D and ME109G. There isn't much in this book for elementary education on World War II. The authors take you straight into the military narrative of the raid.

Overall, a definitive account of Bodenplatte Raid and as it turned out, it wasn't much hope for the Luftwaffe after this. The book come highly recommended for experience readers. (Funny, Hikoki Publications - Hikoki is Japanese word for "plane".)

I needed facts for a group of artists who were painting for an exhibiton with a turn of the century Paris theme.

This book was well written, entertaining, and contained some little known details for these well known and well read artists. The Exhibition was planned to highlight "Le Chat Noir", the caberet where many artists gathered just before the turn of the century, and the book gives life to the Caberet scene in Paris, as well as the total Bohemian scene there in that time frame.

This book was so good in many other ways, that every one of the artists decided to read the whole book. I highly recommend it.

The cover of this book is so telling about the contents that I searched for the poster to hang it in my voice studio. The time and place of early Cabaret is very intriguing to me and this book gave the details of the social canvas behind the whimsy of the art form. This is one of the most wonderful ways to read history. It IS NOT DRY. It springs up your imagination. songbird@avavictoria.com

After reading the only review posted of this book, I thought maybe I hadn't actually read the said book. I'll blame it on how I tend to skim through these sorts of things hardly paying attention. Point is, the review lost me in about the first two sentences. John Lennon? I don't criticize the review or anything - I can, indeed, make the connections - but I read the book more for the information on Murger, Verlaine, Jarry, and the rest of them... So what I'm trying to say is, if you want a great bohemian read totally packed with interesting stuff, read the book. It's a good one.

I first came across this book several years ago when writing about Jacques Offenbach. At that time, I much enjoyed both the author's erudition and his dead-on social analysis. Seigel demonstrates how, in mid-nineteenth century Paris, the eager purchase by the bourgeois of "revolutionary" works of art (literature, paintings, drama, music, etc.) deadened the intended meaning of those works, and, by making their creators wealthy, changed the artists' own feelings about their society. Seigel sees this cooption as an intrinsic function of capitalism, and its own best defense against violent revolution. The parallels for our society seem clear to the reader (Seigel does not discuss them) - just as Henri Murger, author of "La Vie de Boheme", grew rich enough to buy a country estate (and then killed himself) so John Lennon took the money from "Revolution" and bought New York real estate. Mick Jagger is today one of the largest and wealthiest landowners in Britain - and one could extend this list indefinitely.

Over the years, I thought of Seigel's analysis on occasion - for instance, when reading plaintive complaints about the "misuse" of rock in TV commercials. But I didn't bother to pick up the book again until reading a new book with "bohemian" and "bourgeois" together - Brooks' "Bobos in Paradise" - which does not cite this book. Hmm. It's very true that Brooks may simply be a keen observer - after all, our intellectual culture is a direct descendant of that discussed by Seigel. So let's leave it at that - and suggest that anyone seriously interested in "Bobos" would do very well indeed to read this volume.

This is a lovely book. Heros and heroines are not always those who arise from poverty to become millionaire moguls, but are the ordinary men and women we meet in everyday life who are dealt their hand in life and who overcome all its obstacles to find fulfillment and happiness through humor, perserverance and whatever inner tools they possess. Aside from a genuine description of the feelings and perceptions of the story's characters, the reader is treated to a tour of Israel from the 1960's to the present through the eyes of one of its main characters, Jackie.

Fantastic effort. Couldn't put it down. The author conveys her emotions well. A must read.

this is a wonderful read. I strongly recommend it

An excellent book by an excellent author. This book is well thought out. Much praise!

This is a beautiful book, lavishly produced on fine paper, with 46 colored plates and many black and white photos. This is the story of Ami Argand, inventor of the greatly improved oil lamp in 1780. Argand lived an interesting life, and knew some of the main characters in the industrial revolution, such as James Watt, Matthew Boulton, and the Montgolfier brothers. His story had been mostly forgotten, though, and Wolfe has done the world some good in bringing it back to life.

The lamp Argand patented was actually an important invention. It was no small thing to bring a much improved, cheaper source of light to the homes and shops of an industrializing West. The Argand lamp became the standard configuration until about 1850 when the kerosene lamp more or less replaced it. Many of them were real works of art, eagerly sought by collectors today. They were more or less on the edge of what could be mass produced at the time, and Argand experienced many trials and tribulations in bringing it to market. Even the renowned Boulton factories had trouble producing them.

This is a wonderful tale of the Industrial Revolution, and I much enjoyed it. Thank you Mr. Wolfe!

Tremendous book. Beautifully researched and filled with staggering illustrations. I bought it as a reference as I collect lamps. As a reference and piece of scholarship it ranks with the work of Florence Montgomery, John Bivens and Catherine Lynn. What was the most pleasant surprise is that it is beautifully and compellingly written. A truly fascinating story of a fascinating man who lived during a fascinating era. No serious collector of lighting or 18-19th century decorative object should be without this work. Any major decArts library would be remiss not to own it. At $59.95 it is probably underpriced.

John Wolfe portrays the poignant story of a brilliant, gentle, and naive 18th century inventor, Ami Argand. Wolfe's exhaustive research rewards the reader with an intimate view into the life and thinking of Argand and other 18th century luminaries. This book engages your sense of histroy, science, intrigue, and lighting. I really enjoyed it.

An invention of an oil lamp has revolutionized the world. Finally, a lamp has been created that produced a good light without the annoying smoke that has plagued the social life of people over thousands of years. The value of the inventions is immediately recognized and the demand for the new lamp is overwhelming. A commercial opportunity of enormous proportion has emerged. Can a single person protect his invention and satisfy the demand for the new light against the competitive spirit of free market? It is the year 1784, the rumblings of the French Revolution, of the Napoleon wars, and of restructuring of the social systems are not yet heard. It is the time of technical innovations. The steam engine has already advanced manufacturing industry and the dream to conquer the air has just become a reality, the balloon of the Montgolfier brothers graces the sky. John J. Wolfe's book provides an initiate picture of Ami Argand, the Genevese citizen who perfected distilleries for Brandy, invented the two-air draft burner for oil lamps, and assisted the Montgolfiers in flying balloons. Its is a also the story of greed, deceit and unhappiness, and a story of an unfortunate hero and of successful villains. For the first time, an authoritative account is given for the life of Argand; a brilliant scientist who is immortalized by his invention, the Argand lamp, but also a person who sought recognition and wished to persevere in business. The combination of a spell binding story and never published pictures of early lighting promotes this book as a must for students of history, technology and lighting.

I have lived and traveled in Africa a great deal. I recently acquired a copy of Maria Petringa's book
on Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a fascinating man. This book would make a great movie and I would hope somebody in the industry would pick it up and do just that. It is a good book and I highly recommend reading it. Pat Clark

I took the book along on a short rest and relaxation trip, which was all the more enjoyable because of the time I spent on the Brazza adventure. I knew that the story of Brazza's Central Africa explorations would be interesting but Maria Petringa's excellent account of the man and his mission was engaging and a delightful reading experience.

As I enjoy reading historic accounts of charismatic figures who blaze trails, both geographically and politically, I found Maria Petringa's book highly informative and very entertaining. It is also relevant to the volatility of today's geopolitical climate.

This biography of Pierre de Brazza gives us an inspiring portrait of a very good man in a very bad time, the age of European colonialism in Africa. Brazza, who explored and administered French Equatorial Africa at the end of the 19th century, tried desperately to civilize the colonialists' treatment of the African natives. He ultimately failed, though his ideals and efforts are inspiring. His failure shows, however, that the "heart of darkness" was not an aberration, that colonial exploitation of Africa was incurably corrupt and cruel, for the French as for the Belgians. Reading this book dispels any lingering sentimentality for this enterprise, provides the reader with a fascinating portrait of an important though (at least in the English-speaking world) largely forgotten man,
and gives us a devastating picture of nineteenth-century imperialism. "Brazza, A Life for Africa" is hard to put down.

If you're looking for the perfect book to make you laugh - and cry - then you just have to read By Bread Alone. I promise you you won`t be able to put it down. A beautifully written story about Emse and her seemingly idyllic lifestyle, Sarah-Kate Lynch has created a delicious recipe to tug at your heartstrings. She has the gift of transporting you to other times and places and I swear I could actually taste the freshly baked bread as she was describing it! A treat for all the senses.

I have heard dozens of great comments about this book but had put off reading it because I am a bit of a book snob, and thought it sounded pretty lightweight. When I went to hospital last week, I thought it would be the perfect read - nothing too challenging. In fact, it WAS the perfect read - totally gripping, believable (well...nearly!), very, very funny, and a real tearjerker. I was fascinated by the house (and even more so when I read that it actually exists), felt real compassion for all the characters - even crusty old father in law.

I am trying to think of any criticisms to make about it, and failing. I read the other reviews, and am really surprised that one of the reviewers found it so poorly edited. The author has certainly been generous with the adjectives, but not in a way that detracts from the story at all.

Read it yourself - I am now reading Sarah Kate Lynch's "Eating with the Angels" and enjoying it just as much. Must go to hospital again soon - it's great for my reading!

New Zealand author Sarah-Kate Lynch has come up with a quirky, original, touching charmer of a book about an English wife and mother who is anything but ordinary.

Esme Stack makes sourdough bread every day of her life, and its texture, aroma and "ambience," if you will, measures out her days. But when the book opens, Esme cannot bring herself to bake her bread, something she has been doing for decades. Her husband Pog (Hugo) is worried sick; her irrascible and nasty father-in-law Henry is secretly worried, and her divinely unique 4-year-old son Rory is not right at all.

As the story unfolds in delightfully fey meetings between Esme and her deceased Grandmother (you have to read it to believe it) and in flashbacks to the past, it gradually becomes clear that Esme and Pog have had a great tragedy: one that is barking at the heels of Esme's sanity. But what? On the outside, Esme is a ferociously organized housewife, baker, artist, nurturer of sick and lame animals (the bits about the donkey are hilarious). We know she once had a career, but not why she left it. We know she is holding something terrible at bay, but not what it is.

The gradual breaking of Esme's shell of protection is heartbreaking in its intensity and almost joyous in its resurrection of her soul.

This is simply a fabulous book. I am looking forward to reading "Blessed Are the Cheesemakers," by the same author! What a find!

Esme, a former London magazine editor and now stay-at-home mom, lives in the country with her husband, Pog, her son Rory, her very crabby father-in-law, Henry and the enigmatic Granny Mac, the grandmother who has been Esme's only family since her mother committed suicide when Esme was a teenager. They live in a very unusual house--a former water tower converted to a house in the style of a dovecote, five narrow floors topped by a larger living space. 79 stairs to climb from top to bottom! At first glance their lives appear idyllic. Esme begins each day baking her own sourdough bread and the family thrives on it. But in reality they are all dealing, in their own dysfunctional ways, with a tradedy that befell them two years earlier. Lynch has done a superb job of bringing the reader into this family's story and while the ending is very satisfactory, you won't want to leave the characters.

This book is a scholarly account of the history and culture of the Celts, from the earliest archeological evidence in the iron-age Hallstatt culture circa 800 BCE, To the Norman invasion of Britain under William the Conqueror in 1066. The authors discuss the mysterious origins of the Celts using place-names as a guiding demographic to trace their principle routes of migration and their established settlements. The book then goes on further to discuss the formation, structure and the bodies of independent Celtic kingdoms, of Gaul, Britain, Wales, Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Of particular interest is the changing and reforming political and social change which occurred in Britain following the withdrawal of Roman governance C. 4-500 CE. The fifth chapter on Irish secular institutions gives an interesting account of a Gaelic society, its inherited laws, the class based structure, customs and dress, festivals, and the organization of time. All of this is done in comparison with the Welsh system, but interestingly draws many parallels with Indo-European culture, particularly the Vedic and Hindu codes of law.

The 6th chapter outlines the structure and organization of the early modern Celtic kingdoms, providing information on the Pictish tribes and the Dal Riata, Irish incursions and influence in Scotland, the development of the Celtic Welsh and their relations with the Saxons, and overall the influence of the Viking and Nordic raids and settlements throughout the Western Gaelic communities. This period history spans from the 5-6th CE to the late 9th, leading up to the invasion of the Normans at Hastings in 1066. The remaining chapters examine Celtic culture from the perspective of literature, myths, language, religion and art.

I chose this book because I wanted a broad but academic and scholarly account of Celtic history, its formation, structure, people and culture. This volume fulfills all of those criteria, but it was certainly not a `casual' read, indeed it took me several weeks to digest and may properly be used as a reference and source of information rather than leisurely perusal. Both authors are renowned and respected academics, Myles Dillon having been the senior professor at the Dublin Institute, and professor of Celtic studies at Wisconsin, Chicago, and Edinburgh universities. Nora Chadwick is a veteran lecturer at Cambridge University and Newham and Girton Colleges. Celtic Realms is written with an absolutely serious attention to detail, woven together and cross-referenced in the true tradition of Celtic knot-work, and is perhaps the result of several years dedicated study and research. It belongs in the library of any reader with more than a passing interest in Celtic history, and itself provides a student with valuable resources.

What I enjoyed most about this book were the accounts of literature and arts, where the authors bring the voice and actions of the Celtic people to life. The study of any history can be susceptible to a dry and flaky recount, yet Dillon and Chadwick have cleverly avoided such a downslide by depicting the passion, ingenuity, creativity, artistic beauty and linguistic enchantments of individuals who lived so many years ago.

I've had a few people recommend this book to me over the years, and finally sat down to read it when a friend brought it in to work for me. I went out and bought my own copy the next day.

This is an excellent book and is surprisingly current, especially considering that it was first published nearly 40 years ago. Chadwick and Dillon were definitely ahead of their time. I may have been reluctant in the past to crack this book open due to the vast amount of chaff that I have tried to digest from several of their contemporaries.

This book covers most of the topics in Celtica - prehistory, history, culture, language, kingdoms - with a heavy focus on the Celtic literature. Some great insights, definitely a useable research work.

Doesn't say a whole lot about the Druids, but match this up with Ellis' "Celtic Empire", "The Celts" and "The Druids"; Gregory's "Complete Irish Mythology"; Guest's "The Mabinogion"; and Hutton's "Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles",
and you have an excellent all-round introduction to the Celts in general and to the Druids in particular.

Most of us are interested, to some extent, in history, and Celtic history captures the interest of a consistently increasing number of us. There's so much wonder, beautiful visual and literary art, and mystery to the ancient Celts.

But amid the work published on the Celts, there is much that is superficial or based on inaccurate traditions (too often English traditions misinterpreting true Celtic realities). I've found some of the latter, as well as some much better sources, and this ranks as the best among them. The scholarly research that went into this book is very strongly apparent; it is as deep as it needs to be. But it is surprisingly accessible as well. The writers know how to speak good, understandable language rather than Academese. Also present is a large amount of actual material. Many similar volumes only present the ideas and conclusions of the writers, while not bothering to provide the reader with much source material. Here, though, you'll find some excellent pictures, fine paraphrases of many Celtic stories, and even a good selection of actual Celtic words, poetry and inscription in the original language, as well as translation. Other writers give us precious few actual Old Welsh and Old Irish words, but these authors realize that most of us will never have easy access to the old texts.

All in all, as a lay reader, if you want intelligent research which gives you a fair amount of familiarity with important ancient mechanisms like art, language and poetry styles, with a fine record of the important points of history, you'll be hard-pressed to find it in a more accessible form. I'd number this among my ten most important books.

This Dillon and Chadwick masterwork was first printed in 1967 and still stands as a significant work. Some writers of books on the Celts that have been printed over the past twenty years would have benefited if they had consulted this book.
Its discussions of the origins of the Celts are fair-minded and the authors do not rush the reader to conclusions that cannot be with our present state of knowledge and were somewhat ahead of their time in pushing back the origins of the Celtic period further than what is usually presented in other works.
For the beginner it is not always an easy read but it is still approachable and the determined beginner would do well in reading this book as their first introduction to the history of the Celts.
The author's use of the Celtic bardic texts is commendable for they introduce the information they contain yet minimize them as far as being a reliable source of fact and history.
Explored are accounts of the Celts by the Classical world as well as a discussion of the first traces of the Celtic language. Social and religious aspects of the early Celts are also touched on.
Most of the book concentrates on the historical Celts of the British Isles. Their study of the religion, art and literature of the Celts of the British Isles is masterful.
A good companion to this book is Barry Cunliffe's "The Ancient Celts."

A good read for anyone who followed cycling in the late 80s and 90s. This makes the struggle of stage racing a very human experience - what an incredible talent Indurain was!

The inevitable comparisons are legion now that Lance Armstrong has won his sixth (and last?) Tour De France this past July. The past winners were all manifested again during the summer of 2004 with the same predictable results...Eddy Merckz was the "cannibal", the merciless killer among the past 5 time winners...Bernard Hineault was the silent assasin, the least likely looking winner, but perhaps the meanest cycler who ever lived...Jaques Anquetil was the elegant talent, the one who modernized world class cycling in the 60's and of course Armstrong, who is still really establishing his legacy. Who, then is this Miguel Indurain and what "category" does he fit into? Samuel Abt tries to define Indurain's place in history with "Champion: Bicycle Riding in the Age of Indurain". The problem, of course, is that this work was published in 1993 and Indurain still had much more to say on the cycling front.

Abt's story is one that I'd sort of compare to the early Roger Angell works on baseball...a set of diverse observations that pertain to the main event...in this case the 1991 and 1992 Tour De France. Abt descibes both races and certainly suceeds in fitting this race into the context of that day...Indurian, like Armstrong 10 years later, is the man to beat and all others, although interesting, will become mere shadows when viewed in Tour history. The reader gets all angles of world class cycling as Abt describes the growing Indurian myth and how Miguel is slowly replacing American Greg LeMond as the celebrity of the cycling world. We also hear from the less talented riders as Abt talks about their chances as well as how the economy is affecting the team structure in the early 90's. Indeed of all the teams that competed in the 1992 Tour, only the Lotto-Domo Belgian team still competed in the 2004 Tour (Indurian's Banesto team is now Illearas-Banesto).

Abt's descriptions and commentary border on brilliance as he succeeds in presenting a human picture to the world class cycling world and brings to the literay world the only true historical treatment of the brilliant Indurain that can be found (the Armstrong books by comparison, past and future, overwhelm the published books on Indurain). Abt's work is also timed to descibe the end of Greg Lemond's reign as the American Champion and the book ends with a portent of the future with "The First Lance" chapter wherby he descibes the young Armstrong and gives glowing predictions of Armstrong's future.

A work that true cycling fans should undertake (Abt does not attempt and does not succeed in clearing up the complex and at times maddening strategy pertaining to Tour riding) and one that sort of sets the stage for the Armstrong on-slaught, Sam Abt brings a truely worthy and capable champion to light and in the process elevates world class cycling to the level soon realized in the early 2000's.

Essential information for Indurain enthusiasts giving insights into the early Tour victories of the great champion. Also provides interesting glimpses into the personality of one of the more enigmatic figures in cycling history. Noteworthy too for its sidebar coverage of Grag LeMond, whose career was begining it's decline when Indurain's Tour dominance began.

This book captured the quiet, contemplative nature of Miguel Indurain, the 90's most dominant Tour de France rider, very well. Also it played out the backroom drama of "Le Tour". For any cycle racing fan, a must read.