The Celts
A Sceptical History
Published on 30. June 2022
978-1-78283-886-9 (ISBN)
Description
A WATERSTONES BEST HISTORY BOOK
'Simon Jenkins, as ever, writes with clarity and insight' Times
'One of the liveliest commentators in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian' Jeremy Paxman, Guardian
Who were the Celts? Were they a people, a civilisation, an empire, or a fiction of historical imagination? They flit as ghosts through Europe's ancient past, purported ancestors of the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Cornish and Bretons.
Yet they have never been identified with any one land, or with any one history or language.
Simon Jenkins argues compellingly that the 'Celts' is a misleading concept, bundling together quite distinct peoples. The word keltoi first appears in Greek, applied generally to aliens or 'barbarians' - and theories of Celticism continue to fuel many of the prejudices and misconceptions that divide the British Isles to this day.
Fascinating and increasingly relevant, who the Celts were - or weren't - goes to the heart of the ongoing argument over the future of a dis-United Kingdom.
'Simon Jenkins, as ever, writes with clarity and insight' Times
'One of the liveliest commentators in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian' Jeremy Paxman, Guardian
Who were the Celts? Were they a people, a civilisation, an empire, or a fiction of historical imagination? They flit as ghosts through Europe's ancient past, purported ancestors of the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Cornish and Bretons.
Yet they have never been identified with any one land, or with any one history or language.
Simon Jenkins argues compellingly that the 'Celts' is a misleading concept, bundling together quite distinct peoples. The word keltoi first appears in Greek, applied generally to aliens or 'barbarians' - and theories of Celticism continue to fuel many of the prejudices and misconceptions that divide the British Isles to this day.
Fascinating and increasingly relevant, who the Celts were - or weren't - goes to the heart of the ongoing argument over the future of a dis-United Kingdom.
Reviews / Votes
Simon Jenkins, as ever, writes with clarity and insight -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times * Jenkins has a journalist's ear for the outrageous -- John Carey * Sunday Times * There's much here to interest and stimulate -- Ewen A Cameron * Literary Review * Comprehensive and informative -- Alastair Mabbott * Herald * Particularly good ... The old familiar identities of English, Scots, Welsh and Irish are not what they used to be -- Allan Massie * Scotsman * Hugely important to the history of the British Isles yet commonly misunderstood and neglected by contemporary audiences, the story of the Celts is finally told in a coherent and engaging fashion by the bestselling author of A Short History of England * Waterstones Best Books of 2022: History * Praise for A Short History of England:'A lucid and handsomely illustrated narrative * Times * Jenkins is one of the liveliest commentators at work in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian -- Jeremy Paxman * Guardian * This is traditional, kings-and-things, great-men history with all its dates and famous quotations in place ... Jenkins has a newspaper columnist's aphoristic verve * Spectator * A characteristically bold, wry, fluent, combative gallop through English history -- Max Hastings Full of good writing and lively anecdotes ... Food for thought * New Statesman * Immediately accessible * Prospect * Where Jenkins excels is in his very journalistic approach ... The historical events are joined up, and work as narrative * Time Out *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Reflowable
ISBN-13
978-1-78283-886-9 (9781782838869)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Simon Jenkins is the author of the bestselling A Short History of England, also published by Profile, A Short History of Europe and many other bestsellers. Until 2014, he was chairman of the National Trust. A former editor of The Times and Evening Standard, he is a columnist for the Guardian.
