Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide

by John King

An account of the Celts through their ideas of kingdoms and kingship.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ireland, Ebooks, Scotland

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

John King is the author of eight novels – The Football Factory, Headhunters, England Away, Human Punk, White Trash, The Prison House, Skinheads and The Liberal Politics Of Adolf Hitler. The Football Factory was turned into a high-profile film. A new novel – Slaughterhouse Prayer – was published on 8 November 2018.

King has written short stories and non-fiction for a number of publications, with articles appearing in the likes of The New Statesman, Le Monde and La Repubblica. His books have been widely translated abroad. He edits the fiction fanzine Verbal and lives in London.

Reviews

[Michael Brown]

Long slow read since this turned out to be a very detailed study rather than the quick coverage of the people that the guy at the garage sale said. Provides historical coverage from many sources that often contradict each other. The author tries to present a clear study but is hampered by the lack of reliable material on all of the topics he covers.

[Rick]

Thorough, and I particularly enjoyed the breadth of information included on all the Celtic gods and mythological figures, but sprinkled throughout with big historical assumptions, and don't get me started on the whole Arthur question.

[W]

I doubt this is the same John King that has written the other fiction books.

[Judie]

This book reads like a textbook, and the old place names and personal names can be confusing. I enjoyed seeing how the original names merged into the new. It describes the Celts, their religion, migrations, royal families, and mythology. There are examples of warrior kings and queens. Their conflict with the Romans was very interesting and provided a lot of good information through Roman writings. The legend or reality of King Arthur is discussed. There are also a few pictures and some maps. I learned a lot.

[Gillie]

Really interesting. I only wish there were more reliable historic documentation about the lives of this rich and varied people.