Although the book was somewhat informative, the author spent more time giving his own personal review of every track on every album Eric Burdon and/or The Animals recorded. He came across as somewhat opinionated and it was tough to sift through his personal opinions to get to the interesting stories & facts. Eric Burdon's autobiography (ies) are much more enjoyable to read and just as informative.

Along with the Yardbirds, the Animals were the great overlooked band when it came to 60s biographies. No more. Yardites were finally rewarded last year with Greg Russo's exhaustive tome, ULTIMATE RAVE UP. Here, Sean Egan chronicles Newcastle's finest in a lucid and engaging bio that highlights the Geordies' thrilling music, clashing personalities and disaster-prone management. Good points: a thorough run-through of the band's history, freckled with commentary about their records, interesting road stories and a rock solid analysis about why the Animals were unable to build upon their massive early success. (Hints: Mike Jeffery; a lack of songwriting talent). The insightful interviews with John Steel, Hilton Valentine, Vic Briggs, Dave Rowberry, Zoot Money and Eric Burdon are the best part of this book. Bad points: Not enough photos; no commentary from Alan Price (though that's not Egan's fault, Price refused); and Egan's silly conclusion that the New Animals made better music than the originals (be honest - do YOU prefer "San Franciscan Nights" to "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"?). Perhaps Price's instincts were sound - all of his ex-bandmates trash him, especially Burdon and Steel. On the other hand, Price's hoarding of the "House of the Rising Sun" royalties looks all the more suspicious when he refuses to defend himself. The erratic Burdon comes off as alternately charismatic, gutsy, obnoxious, backstabbing and goofy - sometimes all of the above on one page. Chas Chandler's role as the band's muscle and soul is contrasted by the others' assertion that he really couldn't play the bass that well. Hilton Valentine's LSD collapse is addressed tactfully, while John Steel comes off as the most likeable Animal - a laid-back guy with a talent for putting things in perspective. Given how volatile they were, it's amazing the Animals were able to get as far as they did. These guys made the Who look harmonious. If you're a fan of the band (or 60s Brit-rock), this book is for you. Just don't expect a happy ending.

If you have an interest in the history of the Animals, from their Alan Price Combo days thru the "new" Animals, and to the two reunion albums of the original band, you'll enjoy this book. It covers all the appropriate bases, and has extensive comment by the band members (or most of the band members, I should say, since a few did not cooperative with the author, particularly Alan Price, who does not come off too well at the hands of his bandmates). The author seems to have a very objective view of the band's output on record. I found myself agreeing with his comments on songs and albums (some of which are very positive and some very negative--the Animals were, if anything, uneven) probably 95% of the time, and where we disagree, the differences were minor (he complements Inside Looking Out, just not as much as I would, etc.). One or two caveats--there are many typos and the prose is pretty prosaic. The book is very much focused on the band, and does not offer very much insight into the times and settings, so it is definitely geared towards fans of the group. If this is you, I recommend the book.

Many of our roots run deep into Celtic Myth and Legend. The Tuatha de Dannan, their cycle of the Year and many of our holiday names are derived from the Celtic.

But how much does the average pagan know about the stories from whence these things came? How many know the story of Lugh, or the men of Ulster, or even who the Gods of the Britain's were? We may know a fragment here or a passage there, but many of the really good stories go untold.

Mr. Charles Squire has collected some of these stories from the old texts and put them in one place for us to read, without us having to sort through a myriad of books to get just the right ones.

I found his selection to be very deliberate in choosing the stories that epitomize Celtic Mythology. The stories of the Tuatha de Dannan are the foundation of the Celtic Traditions, and from these sprout the Fairy Trads as well. The story of the Kings of Tara are also a good choice for it is part of Gaelic/Irish traditions.

I have always liked the stories of King Cormac and Finn mac Coul. Balor and his daughter, Gwen and Gwyddneu, Manawyddan and the early stories of King Arthur all evoke pictures of heroes and heroines.

If you do not have a collection of Celtic Myths and Legends, then pick this one up. The selection of stories is excellent and gives a good overall picture of the wonderful stories from the Celts. If you already have a book or two, as I do, then supplement your collection with this one. Each of the books I have contain stories that are similar, but there are always the different ones that can not be found elsewhere.

This book is a classic, and is one of the best collections of Celtic myth on the market. Maybe _the_ best. Everyone who is a mythophile or a Celtophile should have a copy of this.

That said, it isn't perfect. Most of the flaws in it can be traced to the time in which it was written (1912). First, it stretches too far to compare everything to a Greek or Roman myth. To call the Dagda "Zeus" or Branwen "Aphrodite" is a little inaccurate, in my opinion, but I try to keep in mind the fact that he was presenting the Celtic myths to an audience obsessed with Greek myths. He even mentioned in his foreword that part of the reason for writing the book is because he was bored with poets' constant classical allusions, and wanted to give them a fresh well of legend on whicb to draw. So, in drawing parallels between Celtic and Greek myth, he was probably just trying to translate the Celtic myths into a format that his audience would understand.

The second, and more serious, gripe is Squire's anti-paganism. He buys into every rumor ever spread about Druidic human sacrifice. While at least one body has been found which was probably the victim of sacrifice, there is no evidence I've seen to indicate that the Celtic religion was the bloodbath it has sometimes been made out to be. Human sacrifice seems to have been present but very rare. Squire loves the Celts' stories, but tends to present the people themselves as bloodthirsty savages in dire need of Christianity to "civilize" them. Again, this may just be a product of Squire's times; he might have had to bash paganism just to get his book published in those days. Or the stories of widespread sacrifice may have been more commonly accepted as historical fact. I don't know. But if you can take his bias with a grain of salt, this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Celtic myth.

This book is great for the beginning reader of celtic mythology. Although it is fairly heavy reading it covers many points (not always in great depth) that can then be followed up in other books.

A very useful purchase that is opened at least once a week in my household for reference reasons.

Healing with Crystals is a good, solid beginners book on how to choose, clear, charge and work with various healing crystals.  From explaining the formation of crystals to their properties, the book is a plain English guide on techniques for utilizing your crystals to the best of your abilities.  Step by step instructions for working with chakras, self healing techniques and working with crystals on others.  Very in depth, by two professional healers and counselors.  A very good book on the subject.

This all-but-forgotten work by the master of the "lost race" adventure story has just about everything a reader could possibly hope for in a book: a treasure hunt, battles between savage African tribes, a plucky heroine, a shipwreck, an insane Jewish villain, the ghost of a 17th century Portuguese woman, mesmerism and even a nice romantic love story. It is a shame that this wonderful fantasy has been out of print for 20 years, as it is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone, young or old, with a love of fantastic adventure. It's well worth seeking out.

This book is part of a series written by the author regarding various EPL teams, and it's highly superficial. Because the typical discussion for an entry is not thorough, it really provides little insight into the history of Newcastle United. There are very few photographs. Finally, the book was issued in the mid-nineties, and it provides little of relevance to the current club, e.g., you won't find anything in the book about Alan Shearer.

All in all, this book was disappointing and, in my view, not worth the premium one pays in the United States for this British issue.

Harrison is not a supporter of Newcastle, his interests lie with Leeds Utd. Yet despite this he provides a reasonable account of all the major (and lesser) events in our clubs history. I would recommend this as a definite for the shelves of any football book reader/collector. It contains dozens of illustrations, the majority of which I have never seen before. A worthwhile read.

I feel that this work has been devalued in a previous review. As someone who collects/uses and researches from published football histories I have found the A-Z series invaluable. Harrison is a respected football journalist and author in the UK, and the book does cover great parts of NUFC's history, albeit in small chunks as opposed to lengthy paragraphs or full chapters. If one uses the book as it is meant then a massive amount of historical data can be gleaned from this and all the Mainstream A-Z volumes.As for there being few photographs, well, there was sufficient for this reader. After all, its a book of facts, not a photograph album. A worthwhile and thoroughly readable book, highly recommended by the British Football Press and football historians.

Haggard combines his two most bankable stars-- Ayesha and Quartermain-- and it ought to be twice as much fun. The problem ultimately is that we know from page one that nothing is going to happen that might conflict with any of the history established for these characters in their other books. Particularly in Ayesha's case that's mighty limiting-- we know that Allan is going to pass through her life without making any particular mark, because all the significant people in her life are already accounted for. Consequently, the work doesn't really show anything new about either character, and instead of two great prizefighters duking it out, we get a couple of characters dancing around trying not to make a mark on each other. Still the basic two-fisted Anglo-Saxon hambone adventure that Haggard does so well, but there's a little less zip in this outing.

...in that I think of ancient Phoenicia, while in fact this plays in only in the main character's background. Essentially a victorian romantic novel, ala Sir Walter Scott, this instead chronicles several generations of English history through the eyes of the eponymous hero. The story is somewhat convoluted, with unresolved threads and underdeveloped characters. Nevertheless, there are portions that are real gems--and the illustrations alone are almost worth the price of the book.

Fans of Gullit will no doubt find this book interesting. I was just disappointed in this purchase.

This is a book written by someone who appears to be very close to both Ruud Gullit and his representatives and gives, what I think is a very one sided account of what happened during Gullit's reign at Newcastle. Had I known that, I never would have bought this book. I didn't want to read another "biography" from Harry Harris of someone who came close to leading a great club down to the First Division.