Rating: 
Summary: Run away from this book as fast as you can!
Review: This book is the worst book I have ever seen on an occult subject. There is no historical basis for the meanings of the various runestaves that he gives in this book and he also makes up his own order to the staves and adds a blank rune.
The Runes are an elegent and beautiful portal into the Mysteries, simple in first appearance but wonderfully complex in their relationships and deep meanings. The numerical significances between the various Runes are filled with symbolisms that are destroyed in this book. Much of the power of the Runes is the ancient tie to the cultural soul of the Runemasters of the past. When someone like Blum does what he has done here, he is commiting a crime against a heritage. Do not buy this book, there is nothing of value here, and worse it is helping to destroy a beutiful magical system.
Rating:
Summary: Actually, this book deserves no stars at all!!!
Review: I bought this book about 4 years ago. After reading the book, I realized that Ralph Blum made up the accompanying meaning for the individual rune. Amazingly, he actually admitted it in his writing!!! If I extend his logic to its natural conclusion, I can take a deck of playing card, give specific meaning to each individual card and start doing some fortune telling on my own. This is exactly what he did with the rune letters.
Rating: 
Summary: An ALMOST complete abomination
Review: If this is your first encounter with the runes, i urge you; Keep the runeset, take out the blank rune, toss the book, and get a new one that DOESN'T rearrange the runes and add a blank one to fit the author's personal rearrangement of a system that hasn't been changed for a thousand years, at least until now. I give Ralph Blum some credit for his research, and at least knowing enough about the meanings of the runes to know how to rearrange them, but I urge you to buy a book that sticks to the real arrangement of the elder FUTHARK (note: it's called a futhark because those are the runes it begins with, and has begun with since their creation!), at least if you want to stick to tradition. However, he does provide enough information in the book to use the runes according to his views. So if you wish to use them his way, he does provide good information in the accompanying book.
Rating:
Summary: Mutilation of the Runes
Review: I am a person who believes that a witch is born. You can't just decide, "Oh, magic, how cool," and start calling yourself a witch. I was brought up a practising Catholic but in my teens I began to discover that I could predict future happenings, know when one of my friends needed me even if they were on the other side of the world, and know automatically how a situation was going to turn out. I can't help being a witch. It's how I was made. I was attracted to the runes through the sheer beauty and poetry of them, so I bought Ralph Blum's set in a box and took them home. As soon as I began to read the book, I realised that this was no rune-master. He blathers on about garbage, using elaborate and convoluted sentences and phrases, in the hopes of convincing you that he really can interpet the Oraqle. Luckily my intuition helped me to understand the true meaning of the runes as I used them more and more - though I am no rune-master myself yet. Ralph Blum is out to make money. I paid a vast sum for my own runeset that I would not have paid if only I'd been able to make a set. As it is, I have a co-ordination disorder that prevents me from carving fiddly things. If you want to study the Runes, make your experience personal and buy books from an author who writes in English instead of waffle.
Rating:
Summary: The book of misinformation about the runes
Review: Thats a nice title for this piece of garbage! wow he christinized a pagan belief. to Ralph Blum the runes are just lifeless symbols, and a way to make a quick buck. Serious Vitkis laugh their sides off at this one. you are better off buying books by Edred Thorrson and Freya Aswynn these people know what they are talking about. Ralph Blums meaningless book deserves no stars.
~Kali~
Rating:
Summary: If I could give it 0 stars, I would
Review: Quite simply, Ralph Blum has no idea what he is talking about. Not only does he change the order of the Aetts, (the proper order of the Elder Futhark is set that way for a reason) instead rearranging them into five groups of five runes, his interpretations are meaningless, inaccurate, and just plain wrong. He seems to think that it's totally okay to just throw away all of the traditional information and interpretations of the runes and make up his own drivel about what they mean. I don't know what he thinks he is writing about, but it sure isn't about runes. I make it a point to steer people away from his books, as he is a wealth of misinformation.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeless Runic Knowledge
Review: This book has proven to be a most valuable resource to facilitate the access, interpretation and understanding of the knowledge that runes can provide. My perception has been that it has been written without context, rather than with any specific motivation in mind. That in fact is what draws me to it. I find it hard to believe, as has been postulated, that there is any extraordinary influence from Christian beliefs. For that matter any religious beliefs (well maybe Buddhism, but it seems to have keeping it's wisdom aside from time and cultural contexts as part of it's core principals - 8 steps = K-I-S-S). I find this book easy for people to relate to. In fact the interpretations have astounded people I have done readings for, particularly when using the runic cross layout. Really, in the end you aren't reading this book because you want to know about Nordic folklore or follow two thousand year old middle eastern morals, you are looking for guidance and introspection. It would take another thousand words (at least ;) to discuss where any guiding information may originate from, but this book can surely help provide introspection. I have felt it has brought me more. As a final note, I would like to say that I am still only borrowing a copy of this book. Strangely in the past I have had many copies loaned to me and given to me (and also taken back from me) by many different people over several years. I've got a beautiful set of runes (which came with a [bad]little "included" interpretation guide, photocopied and stapled), but without a relevant interpretation like I feel this book provides they would be useless.
Rating:
Summary: Norse runes redefined a la Christianity
Review: I found this book not only insulting and annoying but a real rip off, in that the meanings of the Runes were heavily Christianized to suit Blum's worldview. He should have created his own system rather than bastardizing an ancient system that has worked for thousands of years.
Rating:
Summary: Aweful book, no research was done; a waste of money
Review: One of the worst books ever written about the runes. He doesn't even get the rune's names right.
Any book by Thorsson would be better.
This book is trash. He didn't cite a single book on the runes. He doesn't seem to have ever read about the runes. He calls them "the Celtic runes". However, the Celts never used the runes. The runes are Germanic/Norse, not Celtic. Why didn't he know this? This is one of those "New Age" books written to make a fast buck. Save your money. Don't get burned by this con artist. There are many better books out there.
Rating:
Summary: It is very clear!
Review: This book is the best Book of Runes that I have ever read. It is clear, simple, and the stones are beautiful! If you are a Rune lover, you should get this book now!
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