Demandt succinctly walks us through the history of the Celts, from their archeological reality and their appearance in ancient sources, through their gradual absorbtion by Greeks, Romans and Germanic tribes, and finally their reappraisal in more modern eras. A bit too succinct as a first-time introduction, perhaps, but excellent as a refresher. This book does what it says on the tin, and does so professionally.

One of Demandt's minor but admirable concerns is countering a tendency to (mis)use an image of Celtic Tribes for propaganda or various other political gains -- both in the ancient world and in more recent centuries. He’s very sober about Arthuriana, 20thC Druids and books about Mystical Celtic Wisdom.

More maps would have been welcome. I have no idea where most of the German or French rivers and towns that Demandt references are, and that makes following the text harder than it ought to be. ( )