To most of us, Celtic culture is at once distinctive and enigmatic. Though we may acknowledge the Celtic heritage of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain (Galicia) and France (Brittany), and be familiar with the mythology and literature that has given us Arthurian legend and all manner of boastful gods, High Kings, wilful Queens, noble warriors, fairies, goblins and wizards, few of us are aware that the origins of Celtic people lie in Austria, or that the many tribes that made up this very broad designation have a history that spans much further afield, to ancient Greece and Egypt.

This fascinating new book, written by Martin Dougherty and with a foreword by Prof Ralph Haussler, covers the history that has fed the legends: the origins, migrations, allegiances, society, culture, myths and literature of the Celts, from the ‘Hallstatt Era’ beginning in 1200 BCE to the Gaels of western Scotland and northeastern Ireland and eventual Christianization.