Rating: Summary: Too fictional Review: I found this book to be very good and thorough, but too much of it's information is fictional. A lot of the references are from Paradise Lost, or Faust, etc. NOT real sources, but fictional figments of imagination. You must separate the gold from the dross throughout the whole book.
Rating: Summary: Invaluable reference book Review: I purchased this book with little knowledge of, but a great interest in, angels. I knew that there was more to them than the disgustingly false depiction of them as babies and motherly females. This book made me aware of the wealth of information that the author used as his source material, and as a result, I am now studying angels directly from source material that Davidson used. Also, I am currently writing and illustrating a graphic novel regarding the Heavenly Host and their fallen counterparts, and having this as a reference is invaluable. I can't say that it lists every bit of information on angels, but as a reference guide, there is none other that is better. If you are the least bit interested in angels outside of the sickeningly sweet popular image of them, then you need to pick this book up now!
Rating: Summary: Excellent resource Review: I really, *really* enjoyed this work. _A Dictionary of Angels_ outlines many, if not most, of the angels in popular and obscure religious thought. It covers the "also known as" aspect, history of the angel, origins of the myths where possible....it's the most complete and useful book I've picked up on the subject. Not bad for choosing names for household pets, either <G> I highly recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in angels.
Rating: Summary: So good I've bought it 3 times Review: I've bought this book twice and 2 times someone took it and didn't return it. I'm ordering the 3rd copy now. I guess this tells you how interesting this book is. There's so many different topics, sides of religion, and sources for the information they've printed that I frequently found myself losing track of time while reading. This is an excelent resource book for the imaginative writer also. Enjoy.
Rating: Summary: An Overload of Information About Angels! It's all in here! Review: If you ever stopped and wondered about the most minute of details about the angelic hierarchy, or maybe the name of a figure in the bible, or what exactly those angels that are in the 7th heaven are referred to, or who the angel of 11 am on Saturday is....Look NO further. This book has more information than any other book in the field. It simply blows them all away. I wasn't crazy about the cover art, or the title (I had my doubts) but when I got my grubby hands on my copy, I sat and read this compilation for days on end. The author spent 15 years researching, and that much is painfully obvious from the get go. Every inkling of angelic reference is carefully detailed here -- even things I've never HEARD of in my (rather large) collection of books. Davidson has somehow managed to catalog it all into a neat little package. And just when you think the sheer amount of entries in this dictionary is amazing, flip to the back. That's right, the Appendix. That's what makes this book amazing, after all. Not only do you have no less than 3 angelic alphabets, you have detailed listings of all known angels, their positions in Heaven, who was their leader, what hour they guarded over, who fell with Lucifer, and so on and so forth. Shocking amounts of information! If you are going to get ANY book about angels, I implore you to pick up this one before you go any further! You'll thank me later.
Rating: Summary: A pleasant book Review: Many, many names for angels and some brief information on them. Although this book is not as thick as I would like it to be, the author did rely on more than the mundane orthodoxy for his information. It is evident that Davidson made sure that his resources were varied, which makes the book worth having as a quick reference. It would have rated 5 stars if the information had been more voluminous.
Rating: Summary: Angels at your Fingertips! Review: Mythology and Folklore are the center of my studies, and for years, I've collected books on angels and other supernatural creatures. Gustav Davidson, who spent most of his life pursuing angels, has put together a definitive dictionary. For beginners to the world of angels and even collectors, this book is a must. Davidson's introduction itself is worth the money and so is the fabulous Bibliography. I bought this book for his sources so that I could read and collect them first-hand. If you are interested in angels, don't miss the chance to buy this book while it is available. It's a great read by a wonderful scholar.
Rating: Summary: Good Overall Review: Overall, this is one of the better books on angelology. Note that this book does not take sides with any given religion(which is fitting considering angelology as a practice is at odds with most religions). As some other reviewers have mentioned the author does cite fictional sources, but I would point out that the author always credits the origin of each entry(the religion/mythology or work the entity is from). A good table book for those with a casual interest.
Rating: Summary: 777 Review: sweet...graceful...i hope you never have to meet an angel..
Rating: Summary: Angels Categorized & Explained Review: The best thing about this book is it cuts through all the new age fluff and gets angels right by describing them from the perspective of history, tradition & myth. Scroll down a ways and read Jessica's review -- an actual angel and she likes the book -- what more recommendation do you need? :)
|