The Last of the Celts

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Marcus Tanner

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A search for authentic Celtic culture and its scattered, endangered survivors

Travelling throughout the remote Celtic world, award-winning author Marcus Tanner describes the relentless pressure on Celtic communities to assimilate and warns that a distinct Celtic identity may not survive for another generation—a sobering loss that would impoverish us all.

"Tanner has concluded we must resign ourselves to the fact that Celticism is done, over, finis. He proves it in a very good and special book that every prodigal and true Celt should read and try to prove wrong."—Malachy McCourt, Washington Post Book World

"Lively. . . . [A] thoughtful book."—Publishers Weekly

"An exceptional journey into the remarkable cultural history of the Celtic people. . . . [Tanner’s] experience reads like a travelogue and an insightful history with an emphasis on cultural heritage."—Raymond L. Flynn, Boston Sunday Herald

"[An] angry, elegiac and meticulously researched book."—Christian Century

Marcus Tanner is a freelance writer and journalist.

“The author certainly has a way with words. … Neither does he pull any punches… As its title suggests, this is not an upbeat survey…it is up to every prodigal and true Celt to read this book and try to prove it wrong!” - Marcus Tanner, The Cornish Banner

“[A] lively and thought-provoking exploration of [the Celtic languages] status today.”—Michael Kenney, Boston Globe

“An exceptional journey into the remarkable cultural history of the Celtic people. . . . His experience reads like a travelogue and an insightful history with an emphasis on cultural heritage.”—Raymond L. Flynn, Boston Sunday Herald

“[A] comprehensive and consistently interesting book. Clearly written for general audiences, Tanner’s [book] is energetic and fast-paced. He combines first-hand observation with a synthesis of extensive historical research to examine the past and present of Celtic communities in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany, as well as the Celtic diaspora in Cape Breton and Patagonia.”—Choice
 

“At its center this is a book about the importance of language and about what is lost when a language dies. . . . In the very passion, eloquence and determination with which Tanner pursues his own quest, we can glimpse some of the appeal of the language and culture he honors in The Last of the Celts.”—Loren Wilkinson, Christian Century

“An excellent review of Celtic culture and social history.”—Family History Monthly

“In this lively book, which is part travelogue and part social history, independent historian Tanner records the results of his world travels in search of the remaining vestiges of Celtic culture. . . . He provides not only a portrait of modern society in flux in these regions but also a picture of each society’s rich history. . . . [A] thoughtful book.”—Publishers Weekly

“A stimulating thought provoking work.”—James Whetter, The Cornish Banner

“[A] fascinating, sobering look at the modern Celtic communities of Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany Wales and Patagonia.”—Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman

“This is a good, sad book which should be required reading in all schools of English History.”—Byron Rogers, The Spectator

“Marcus Tanner, searching for his Welsh ancestry, has had the excellent idea of a book which combines historical analysis with contemporary reportage. The Last of the Celts is a sure-footed general guide to what actually happened to the cultures of Wales and Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man, Brittany and Cornwall. . . . [An] excellent book.”—Hywel William, The Tablet

“This is a book well worth reading. . . . It is stimulating and thought-provoking, and raises large questions about homogenization and heterogeneity in the modern world.”—David A. Wilson, The Toronto Globe and Mail

“Tanner has concluded we must resign ourselves to the fact that Celticism is done, over, finis. He proves it in a very good and special book that every prodigal and true Celt should read and try to prove wrong.”—Malachy McCourt, Washington Post Book World

“Tanner argues that the traditional cultures of the Celtic lands . . . are very near extinction. . . . Tanner tells the tale with considerable style and feeling, and backs it up with impressive research. The book is part ancient history, in which colorful characters from the past struggle over politics and religion, and part contemporary travelogue, in which today’s Celts are examined for signs of cultural life.”—Terence Winch, Wilson Quarterly

"A convincing and compelling account of the erosion of both branches of Celtic, the Goidelic languages of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man and the Brythonic languages of Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany, and the reasons for their decline in the varied historical and cultural contexts in which it was taken place."—Joanne Craig, Rocky Mountain Review
ISBN: 9780300115352
Publication Date: March 30, 2006
432 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
20 b/w illus.
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