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Title: The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago : The Complete Cultural Handbook by David M. Gitlitz, Linda Kay Davidson ISBN: 0-312-25416-4 Publisher: Griffin Trade Paperback Pub. Date: July, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (9 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Very complete and entertaining book
Comment: I was expecting to know something about the medieval heretic Prisciliano but the authors don't mention him. Prisciliano is, according to studies by Victoria Armesto, the real person buried in place of Santiago. Poor old Prisciliano will have to keep waiting in ostracism a little bit longer...
Another thing: The cockleshells that symbolize the pilgrim. The authors don't mention the theory that relates it to the birth of Venus (see Botticelli's work).
Anyway, the book reads easily.
Rating: 5
Summary: I liked it, I liked it ...
Comment: As is apparent from other reviews in this thread, "The Pilgrim's Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook" by Gitlitz and Davidson elicits strong feelings, both pro and con. I personally found this book to be an invaluable reference while walking the pilgrimage route. However, I recognize how other individuals might differ in their assessment.
First and foremost, it is essential to recognize what this book is NOT designed to do.
The handbook is not a trail guide.
It does not list refuges or explain where to camp.
It does not tell you where to eat or what to pack.
If this is what you are looking for, find another book.
With that said and done, the handbook did provide me with an extremely valuable reference in establishing a cultural context for the sites that I was visiting. I am not an expert in Romanesque architecture, nor do I know the lives of Roman Catholic saints well enough to recognize the major figures in a Retablo. I never had the opportunity to extensively study the history of the pilgrimage. Left to my own devices, I would most certainly never have read much in the way of medieval Spanish poetry. In all honesty, even after walking the pilgrimage route, I am still far from expert in all of these areas. However, the handbook did provide me with enough information that I was able to appreciate much more of the sites that I was visiting.
As other individuals have noted, time for sightseeing is often short. I found the handbook to be extremely useful in prioritizing my time and determining which sites would be most interesting to visit. As an example, none of the other sources that I consulted noted the existence of the Blacksmith forge at Compludo which may very well have been my favorite part of the trip. Without the handbook, I would have never have visted half the church nor understood a quarter of what I was seeing.
As I noted at the start of this posting, when it comes to the handbook, your mileage may vary. Each person has their own reason for traveling the Camino. If you aren't interested in cultural history or architectural reference, you might find it more useful to bring another reference. However, if you are interested in understanding the "why" behind what you're seeing, I think that you will find this reference as valuable as I did.
Rating: 2
Summary: The Impractical Pilgrim's Guide
Comment: I purchased this book after reading all of the rave reviews listed here, but don't be fooled as I was! I met many adventurous souls on the Camino, but none who would think to follow the bloated itinerary suggested by these authors. Apart from the lack of maps or accomodation information, some of their trail tips were so off base (i.e. suggestions for scenic detours that wound through industrial land) that I wonder if they even hiked the same path! There are much better guide books out there, but they are not readily available in this country. My suggestion is to wait and buy The Practical Pilgrim's Guide, relatively easy to find in Europe and available in several different languages. I picked up a copy midway through the Camino. While it is much thinner on the cultural and historical details (and thus easier to carry), all points of significant interest are treated with just enough detail, not the kind of overkill that Glitz and Davidson's book doles out. I dumped their book on the side of the road after it gave me its only practical use, as I had run out of toilet paper.
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Title: The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago De Compostela by William Melczer ISBN: 0934977259 Publisher: Italica Press, Inc. Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Walking the Camino de Santiago by Bethan Davies, Ben Cole ISBN: 097316980X Publisher: Pili Pala Press Pub. Date: 03 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago by Nancy Louise Frey ISBN: 0520217519 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Frances: From St. Jean Pied De Port to Santiago De Compostela by John Brierley ISBN: 1844090108 Publisher: Findhorn Press Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Lonely Planet Walking in Spain (Lonely Planet Walking in Spain, 3rd Ed) by Miles Roddis ISBN: 174059245X Publisher: Lonely Planet Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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