good books vs bad books

[abrecan]

ok, so during our studies at one time or another we have come across a book or two that really enlightened us on our paths. and, naturally, some that werent fit for toilet paper. lets try to help the other poor souls weed through the "dreck" and list the good and the bad shall we? author lists are also good, john and catlin matthews have written a variety of books on the subject and deserve a peep.


good: the mind of the druid dr e grahm howe. principles of druidry emma restall orr (shes really good), the white goddess robert graves

(keep in mind, though there may be a good book in the bad list, it may not be accurate or safe (in some cases))

bad: the 21 lessons of merlyn, douglas monroe


just an idea though, if you disagree be sure to point it out. second, if you want a summary on the book(s) in question, it might be a good idea to pm the person that posted it so the thread doesnt get too clogged.

[Louisvillian]

As a Wiccan who respects Celtic recons, and as someone with a strong interest in Celtic (especially British and Irish) history: anything by Edain McCoy is absolute shite and should be avoided as if it were a fountain of smallpox.

[banondraig]

I'd have to classify Robert Graves as bad.

[Louisvillian]

Well, it depends. His assumptions are off-mark and his work is not very historically accurate; I'd take everything he writes with a big grain of salt.
However, awareness of his material is helpful in understanding the pagan revival movement of the late 19th century, which led to polytheistic reconstructionist trends in the mid-20th century. So, while not necessarily an informative book, it helps to understand the base on which modern paganism built itself.

[Nuadu]

I suppose its true but if understanding the neopagan movement from its beginning to the 90s you could go for The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton. He's a historian and a sociologist and gives all the evidence available along with information from interviews with leading pagans and the local people in the area's where the major centres of neopaganism existed.

My reservations about the White Goddess are based in the *translations* he does of Irish lit... he just makes it up as he goes along! Anyone that has the book can test it for themselves by translating the propecy of the morrigan and comparing it to the one Graves gives. Its an easy translation and it'll show how little effort he put into it:

www.EnglishIrishDictionary.com (http://www.EnglishIrishDictionary.com)
The second battle of moytura in Irish - its the poem bit
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G300011.html