THE FOLIO SOCIETY

Licentious pagans or mystical druids? Rapacious vandals or noble warriors? The images we have of the Celts are certainly dramatic and, in this fascinating account of their history and culture, Nora Chadwick sets out to discover the truth about them.

Her book is remarkable, not least because the Celts left virtually no written records. Using archaeological evidence and descriptions from classical sources, she reveals a people feared and admired in equal measure, who occupied vast swathes of Europe from the 8th century BC. Their history is one of resilience and survival - indeed, many of us are descended from them - as first the Romans and then the Anglo-Saxons laid claim to their lands.