I was surprised when I first read that this book was out of print and I am thankful that I bought it when it was first published.

Over the years, I have found it to be a valuable reference on the subject of Taliesin and Bards in genereal. There is controversy regarding the legitimacy of many of John Matthews' writings, but I have not yet been disappointed with his writing or research.

There has been rumour of this book being republished in the next year ot so. I hope this is the case as it is a book Iwould reccommend to anyone interested in knowing more about Taliesin and the Bardic practise.

The Matthews' Taliesin gives two unique contributions to our understanding. One is John and Caitlin's own translations of about thirty of Taliesin's poems, providing the greatest collection of Taliesin writings available in print in modern translation. The other is John Matthews' extensive demonstration of his understanding of the 6th century Taliesin as a "shaman", similar in social function and mystical abilities to shamans of ancient times in Siberia, the Americas and elsewhere.
John Matthews takes the exact opposite view of Taliesin from the scholar Sir Ifor Williams. Where Williams is interested only in the provably historical works of Taliesin, court bard, Matthews excludes these from his exploration. Matthews engages the reader's attention with Taliesin's timeless mystical works, and with Irish and occasionally Welsh texts that he sees as relevant to the understanding of pre-Christian shamanism. He interprets most of Taliesin's poems as cosmological myths.
Newcomers should beware of Matthews' errors on matters peripheral to his focus. He says "Gildas" when he should say "Nennius". He writes "Owain Gwynedd" when "Owain of Rheged" would be correct. He speaks unclearly of a sixth century "separation of the Welsh and British languages", when he means the separation of the unified fifth and sixth century British language into Welsh, Cornish and Scots Gaelic that surely began only in the seventh century after the merger of the Celtic kingdom of Rheged with English Northumbria. But none of this need deter the reader from diving into the rich understanding of Taliesin the mystic which this book provides.

I am surprised that this book is "out of print!" When I read this book, in '93, I was compelled to finish it in a few days, although I had little time to read. Taliesin is an epic adventure in Mythology, Legend, Oral Tradition and many other areas of interest. I recently loaned it out and my friend devoured it! Anyone interested in The Mysteries, History, Celtic Lore, etc. will find this book worthy of searching-for. Also, you may want to grab a copy of "The Mabinogi And Other Welsh Tales," by Patrick K. Ford.

A beautifully and classically illustrated book that interlaces the fragments of the Arthurian saga. Entertaining to both the avid Arthur reader and the literary newcomer, the story is simply but elegantly put, and it positively emanates romanticism. It is perfect for perusing over and over again, not only because of the textual material itself but also the vivid pictures that accompany it on every other page. Friends stopping by for a visit have picked it up and paused our conversation to flip through it. A very worthwhile buy.

This book is not only full of beautiful pictures, it is full of traditional Winter Holiday Stories from all religions. Included are the tales of Hanukah, stories of Jesus, the African Harvest Festival and even the Polish winter holidays. Its a great way for children to explore all belifs, while enjoying the rich colourful images. Its a book you can read time and time again.

Contrary to the first reviewers opinion (Nov. 18, 1999), this book is not a devotional text. I think this person has gotten this text confused with "The Celtic Spirit", a devotional text by the same author.

As for the "Celtic Book of Days" it is a well laid out calendar. Not quite what I expected, it seems to be lacking depth, and some days don't have very much information or artwork at all. I truly expected more.

If you wish to use it as a tabletop calendar, why not? That's what I use if for, but as a study tool there really isn't much there, which is fine as well. The passages mainly consist of brief poems or sayings, quick history reviews of ideas and significance of days. As I said earlier... not what I expected, but not a total disappointment either.

Not much more then a starter conversational piece IMHO.

I purchased this book and followed the devotionals for a couple of weeks, then read ahead and stopped. I saw that Matthews was falling far too deeply into a modern, New Age sentimentalism that contradicts what I have seen to be Celtic beliefs for me to use it. I don't think this book is sufficiently Celtic to be called such. Some of the poetry and other materials are very good, but I could have done without the eco-politics beyond a certain point, and its lack of recognition of the political issues in the Celtic nations was a significant failure. How can this be Celtic if it doesn't deal with the issues faced by living Celts?

this book when i ordered it through mail, i thought it was a joke but it was not it was filled with so much, interesting ifo. for everyday.

After reading this book, I came to realize that the approach the John and Caitlin Matthews is using expresses the spirit of Celtic Spirituality as it presented in sources such as Celtic Heritage by Alwyn and Brinley Rees and The Gods of the Celts by Miranda Green. However, It would have been nice if John and Caitlin Matthews would have used these text as sources for their work. Much of the text expresses what is apparent in ancient Celtic religion while other aspects are off into left field. The only reason for this that I can think of is that the translations that are being used are out dated (some seem to be from the 1900s) as well as looking at late middle ages sources and saying that they come from ancient Celtic sources, which would be impossible to tell. Even with all the problems that arise with the text, it is a wonderful approach and much of what John and Caitlin Matthews express, from what I can tell, is consistent with other academic text about Celtic spirituality and religion.

The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom is, hands down, required reading for anyone interested in the primal Celtic traditions, especially of the Irish and Scottish traditions. Where John Matthews' Taliesin and the Shamanic Mysteries of Britian addresses largely a Cymric (Welsh) and British leaning, The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom is, largely, rooted in the Irish, with some exploration of folk Scots beliefs and expressions of the shamanic (as in the case of the late and well-loved Scottish seer, Eliadh Watt). As of January 2002 I consider this book to be one of the top three books on Celtic tradition, especially the visionary tradition of primal Celtic spirituality and the field of contemporary Celtic spirituality. It is a priceless addition to one's library, along with Tom Cowan's Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit, Mara Freeman's Kindling the Celtic Spirit. For a more classical exploration of these same themes I recommend The Silver Bough, by F. Marian McNeill.

If you never again by any books on this subject you must have this book. Reliable source document translations that are accessible to the average reader are thin on the ground and this is one of the very best. BUY THIS BOOK! I refer to it repeatedly and it never lets me down. An excellent book and an excellent value.