Druids: A Very Short Introduction

This is a fine tour of the breadth of evidence scholars use to reconstruct who the druids were. The author goes heavy on context and background, and takes a while to say much about the druids themselves. His is a conservative approach (eschews any notion off druidism having a continuous history to neo-druidism today).In the end he delivers a concise representation of what is "safe to say" about the ancient druids, a minimal sketch that dares no speculation and asserts nothing not directly tied to textual or archeological evidence from ancient Brittain and Gaul.If the author had shown the slightest bit of feeling for his subject, like Gibbon or Zaehner or Frazer or Campbell, I would've given five stars.... but he doesn't. He has the enthusiasm of someone chemically describing a chocolate cake with great accuracy but who really doesn't care for chocolate cake himself, and never cares to describe the flavor.

The book is a great introduction to the mysterious and fascinating Druids. What I like about Cunliffe's take in the book is that he lays out all the sources of information we have about the Druids from texts, archeology and folklore. He explains the textual traditions and their sources and how they developed over time, which is vital. He also goes deep in the archeology and shows how there was a long continuity of beliefs in prehistoric Britain and how truly ancient the Druidic tradition may have been. Even more intriguingly he explores the remarkably short time it took for the Druids to collapse as a political, social and religious force.Then however he moves on to how the Druids developed a more modern mythology and how they came to capture a vivid place in the imagination of modern man. Druids: A very short introduction lives up to its title it is too short but what a wonderful introduction it is! After reading this book you will be able to sort through fact and fiction and come a much better idea of what and who the Druids really were. As I have often found fact is for more interesting than fiction.

Barry Cunliffe's Druids does a good job surveying the relatively sparse information on the Druids from literary and archaeological sources and how the understanding of who they were has been interpreted by different societies. Neodruids and neopagans starting back in 1772 created societies under the influence of late 18th century "Romanticism" that relied upon overactive imaginations and was loosely connected with the past understandings of Druidism. A worthwhile read that is slow going sometimes, parsing the ambiguous archaeological evidence but satisfying to this reader because of the helpful analysis of what is actually known about Druids as "philosophers and theologians" and as present at sacrifices.

The books is short out of necessity as so little is known about the Druids. The author repeatedly mentions that there are really only 3 actual accounts that may accurately describe the Druidic practices through the blinders of their own bias. The rest of the sources cited are rehashings or complete fantasy. The book is actually a description of what practicing Druids were not - anything seen or described in the media. After reading 3 of Francis Pryor's books, I wished to sample another approach to English pre-history. So little is known or authenitcated that the book is a trying exercise in repetition. I suggested doing a Wiki search and saving yourself the expense.

I liked that it was presented as largely theoretical.I disliked that it was so short. Overall it was enjoyable and informative

Based on what I have read it sounds like Neopagans have genuine spiritual experiences so I am not discounting them, but for anyone interested in the Druids, I would say this should be the first book that you read.

A brief, clear, concise and quite comprehensive exploration of the Druids in the historical and archeological records. The author developes the story into modern times describing the origins of the myths and fads surrounding the Druids.

I've been reading this book by Barry Cunliffe over the past few weeks. I'm enjoying the read.

Barry Cunliffe is alway worth reading but this book gets off to a slow start as the author admits thwere isn't a lot to know . An awful lot of "knowledge" about Druids is at best informed conjecture, anti Druid propaganda by the Romans or in somecases plain lies and fantasy. The book gets interesting for me when it moves on to some of the groups and individuals, who have taken advantage of the attraction and mystery of the Druids for their own aims, such as supprting national foundation myths. So if you want to know what the Druids were about there is no new information here, but of you want to know how people have taken advatage of their mystery more recently ( that is in the last 500 years) then I felt the author has made some interesting points .

Refreshingly free of romantic speculation, this is a guide to what we actually know about druids (which isn't that much), plus some scholarly speculation on what else they nay have been. Lucidly written, and thoroughly researched and referenced. A very helpful little book for those interested in ancient Britain.

Cunliffe is the 'go-to' man for the history of the Celts. He consistently writes superbly in concise and telling phrases, sentences, paragraphs and chapters. He never wavers from both his logic and his understanding of the topic. This makes for easy reading whilst getting lots of information.In this little book he gives a great summary that might well inspire readers to read more deeply - as, of course, Cunliffe himself did, whilst also travelling Europe to visit and seek to understand the places they lived in, their beliefs, and perhaps above all their survival in many parts of Europe despite the efforts of the Romans to destroy them utterly (they failed).

A really interesting read and, to be honest, much better than the same author's book on the Celts at explaining how are ancestors may have lived and what they probably believed. In short, the best book about pre Roman Britain and Ireland I have read so far. Cunliffe, as always goes back to original sources and explains why you don't know all the things you thought you knew.

Very interesting, I knew very little about the Druids until reading this book. A fascinating insight into the Druids in Roman times right up to the present day. Easy reading