Rating: 
Summary: Yes, it DOES matter
Review: When I first bought this book several years ago I was very excited. I had only been a practicing neo-pagan for a couple of years, and was very interested with expanding the Wicca 101 stuff with particular cultural interests - especially the elusive "Celtic" being that my Irish father raised me with such inclinations.When I first read the book I thought it was accurate enough. It was pretty much the only source of its kind that I found, and it looked authentic and detailed enough. However, as the years I have passed I've found myself reconsidering this opinion greatly - especially as I've compared it to other source material. I think the first glaring red flag went up when I re-read it and, in the opening pages, declared that 'Celtic culture' was really pantheistic and not polytheistic. It then proceeds to treat the gods and goddesses as synonomous and interchangeable - ignoring the cultural differences which make them unique, and being horribly disrespectful to the "contributing cultures" to boot. Besides my opinions regarding pantheism used in such ways, it bothered me that the gods and goddesses were treated, as many neo-pagan books do, as spell components rather than viable entities. I know others don't share my opinion that this book is guilty of this - but then, this is just my opinion. I was also bothered by the fact that it seemed more Wicca and New Age than Celtic - and this little fact even stood out in my first reading, when the only resource materials I really had were of the Wicca 101 variety. Now while I'll say that it's not the worst resource material out there, it's far from the best... and those truly interested in a deep exploration and understanding of the Celtic cultures and their gods, they'd do better looking elsewhere (the Matthews or Peter Bellesford Ellis are good for a start).
Rating: 
Summary: Of Little Use As More Than A Dictionary
Review: When I purchased this book I'd really only skimmed through the introduction and the various glossaries that make up the remainder of the book. The first half of the book seems to be dedicated to "Celtic Wicca"- a fairly watered down attempt at reconstructing Celtic spirituality. The latter half of the book is given over to a dictionary of gods, goddesses, and mythical heroes. The dictionary is perhaps the most useful and informative part of the book, and for that reason alone I'd recommend it. This book will not replace serious in-depth study of the Celtic peoples, their way of life, or their deities. This book will give you a quick run down on Wicca, attempt to generalise some uniquely Wiccan things as "Pagan" and then start putting a Celtic spin on the information it presents before giving you the glossaries. Edain McCoy tends to refer to a few key Wiccan laws and spiritual sayings as generally pagan, such as refering to the Wiccan Rede as the "Pagan Rede." Mr. McCoy also, like many of the other Llewellyn authors, tends to generalize Witch, Witchcraft and Wicca. This is not a terribly good book for either an introduction to Wicca or a form of Celtic spirituality. If you want an introduction to Wicca I would go with Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" or Raymond Buckland's "The Complete Book of Witchcraft." You might even try one of Silver Ravenwolf's books, specifically "To Ride a Silver Broomstick." As for an introduction to the Celts, consult your local library, and perhaps some books by the Matthews' or D.J. Conoway(Though be wary of her use of 'history'- it's terribly general).
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