Review of Ancient Celtic America

[Saumya Gupta Gupta]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ancient Celtic America" by Phillip Maurice Leonard.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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From the name itself, the book sets a very intriguing premise for learning about Celtic American history. Ancient Celtic America talks about the evidence of Celtic inhabitation before Columbus’s discovery of America while citing pieces of evidence from the Ogam corridors from South-East Colorado.

The book opens with the argument that whether or not Columbus was the one to discover America, which then leads to the question, what do we mean by “discovery”? Phillip M. Leonard and William R. McGlone argue that if discovering was simply the founding of the land, then Columbus couldn’t have been the first because of the presence of the aboriginal native population. However, the author also writes that “the thing discovered had not been hitherto brought into action or use” is also one of the definitions of Discovery. Hence, begins a saga in which the authors try and find proof about this neglected history of America.

The book has been written in as simple a language as the authors could afford to write such an academically inclined manuscript. It was easy to read and understand, with the book written in more of a story like way than an extended research paper. The authors want this book to be able to reach greater audiences and not just the niche, which justifies the writing style. Additionally, each chapter ends with a small summary that embraces the essence of the chapter. This really helps the reader to be able to do a quick revision of the previous chapters during breaks between reading.

The authors talk about the various voyages made to the Americas before Columbus ever set foot on this land. They also argue about the fact that whether Columbus discovered this land, or he only made it more accessible and convenient to the general masses leading to the massive popularization of America.

The only negative about the manuscript was the lack of any information about the authors. The book doesn’t have any small bio or introduction that tells us about who the authors are, which would have been helpful to understand the background of the authors. But this fact takes nothing away from the information that has been provided in the book. Every fact has been backed up with sources and proofs. The addition of the bio would have been a great way to understand the person behind the writing.

I would suggest this book for history enthusiasts as well as academics who have very deep knowledge about petroglyphs and epigraphy. The book has been made comfortable to read and understand for the layperson, but according to the author, it still holds the facts and figures that would intrigue any interested academic. It is a very well researched book with a writing style that is technical and nuanced but not to the point to make a layperson feel out of the place reading the book. It is easy on the eyes and the brain. I have nothing negative to say about this book and have learned so much more about the parts of history we were never told, I am giving this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars

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Ancient Celtic America
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[Aisha Yakub]

I like that this research work can have as much readers as possible because of the easy style of writing. Great review.

[Essy Nma]

History lies in here. Thanks for the review.