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Title: Spes Scotorum, Hope of Scots: Saint Columba, Iona and Scotland by Dauvit Broun, Thomas Owen Clancy ISBN: 0-567-08682-8 Publisher: T. & T. Clark Publishers, Ltd. Pub. Date: 01 September, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Gentle Columba - 1400 years on
Comment: This book is a collection of articles by various authors from the print and seminar publications of the Scottish Catholic Historical Association to commemorate Columba's death in 597 AD.

While published by the SCHA, it is devoid of any pro-Catholic sentiments which usually surround the collective denominational "ownership" of local saints.

The work is divided into three sections: historical analysis of Columba and Iona; the written world of Adomnán, Columba's biographer; and the modern world legacy of Columba including the archæology of Iona.

Perhaps the most interesting historical article is "The Scottish takeover of the Pictland and the relics of Columba" by John Bannerman which attempts to debunk the "union" myth between the Picts and the Dál Raita Scots. For understanding Adomnán the hagiographer, Jennifer O'Reilly's "The wisdom of the scribe and the fear of the Lord in the Life of Columba" is both insightful and accessible to the lay person. The article which summarizes the archæological activity on Iona is disappointingly brief. The final article by Donald E. Meek regarding 21st century interpretations of Columba is fun reading for its ridicule of the modern "Celtic Christianity" movement and the uses to which Columba's memory is now put.

A solid backgrounder on Columba.

Rating: 3
Summary: Scholarly but unsatisfying
Comment: Any book written about Scottish history prior to 1,000 AD gets stuck in a bog somewhere between archaeology and history. I've read my share of densely detailed site descriptions from an archaeological perspective as well as mildly fanciful and somewhat romantic tales of Scottish clan lore. Both have their place. And most people who have read a similar assortment are longing for a writer to offer both. This collection of essays is written by scholars for scholars and although I slogged through it, it failed to offer interesting details of artifacts OR intriguing character sketches. The points that are argued are in no way passionate and the information offered is so subtle that I doubt the average Scottish-history hobbyist will find these essays compelling. Also, if you haven't read thoroughly on the subject, this book assumes a great deal of background knowledge and you will be lost easily if you are not well versed from the start. It rates a three in my eyes simply because it's about Scotland.