Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 599.9350941 EAN: 9780393330755 ISBN: 0393330753 Label: W. W. Norton Manufacturer: W. W. Norton Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: 2007-12-10 Publisher: W. W. Norton Studio: W. W. Norton
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Editorial Reviews: From the best-selling author of The Seven Daughters of Eve, an illuminating guide to the genetic history of the British Isles. One of the world's leading geneticists, Bryan Sykes has helped thousands find their ancestry in the British Isles. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts, which resulted from a systematic ten-year DNA survey of more than 10,000 volunteers, traces the true genetic makeup of the British Isles and its descendants, taking readers from the Pontnewydd cave in North Wales to the resting place of "The Red Lady" of Paviland and the tomb of King Arthur. Genealogy has become a popular pastime of Americans interested in their heritage, and this is the perfect work for anyone interested in finding their heritage in England, Scotland, or Ireland.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A Very Good Read Comment: This is the book I've been looking for! I found Bryan Sykes to be a thoroughly engrossing author and storyteller as well as an accomplished scientist. His overview of British history (as well as the occasional personal anecdote) coupled with the story of collecting samples in the various regions of the Isles is entertaining and sheds much light on who we are as a people. I came away with a feeling of connectedness to all around me and a burning desire to know my own ancient ancestry. I loved not only the succinct stories of conquest and migration but also the simple explanations of current genetic anthropology. I was sorry to see this book end and look forward to reading his other books as soon as possible. Perhaps the funny thing about all this is that I am not a scientifically minded person at all. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history or with a family that hails from the Isles. Or, to anyone with a desire to know how we are all connected biologically. Perhaps the most intriguing 'side benefit' of this book is a feeling that most of the conflict among peoples today could be seen in a different light when we finally come to understand that on the level of DNA we are all so remarkably the same. Customer Rating: Summary: NOT for the lay person Comment: I am a science fan. My degrees, such as they are, are in chemistry. I have worked in science for a very long time. But I've never really been a biology buff. I do read a good deal of science, but I could not make my way all the way through this. The historical parts were extraordinarily interesting. I enjoyed how the author showed how others had tried to put together data to figure out where the peoples of the British Isles came from. I was stunned at how racism was supported by "science". And I really liked how the author gave credit to those before him and their endeavors. But when it came to the biology, I was lost in the details. I realize the author did a great job of dumbing things down for those of us who know none of this. But it really just didn't catch my attention. I think perhaps you need to have a good interest in this field before picking up this book. I was hoping this book would spark my interest in molecular bio, as I am into history and science. It just didn't. (*)> Customer Rating: Summary: R1b (Oisin) Comment: If you understand my title, you might be similarly frustrated and fascinated by this book. I do not have my Y-DNA (R1b) through the British Isles. What we know is our common family male ancestors were born in the Eastern Europe, but there common male ancestor came from Western Europe (Germany - confirmed through family genealogy). R1b is apparently one of the larger haplogroups for Y-DNA of males currently living in Germany, so this came as no surprise. What was somewhat of a surprise is that it is obvious to me is that R1b is the main halogroup of the Celts even before I read the book, and by far the largest of the British Isles. Further, a closer look at our Y-DNA showed close matches, particularly in Scotland. I family friend - a medical doctor - explained that it is not unusual to have close matches exist across the English Channel. Consequently, I became very interested in the DNA makeup of western Europe. I wanted some background on the DNA as the British Isles ties to the rest of Europe. The book does this, but in a very non-technical way. The author purposely avoids being technical. Unfortunately, I think the book sacrificed too much here for me, that is in his zeal to simplify the topic. On the other hand, if technical terms and scientific details turn you off, this is probably a good read for you. He obviously understands DNA. But he digresses off the subject too often for my tastes, and I found the side-trips to be a bit silly at times. Maybe he writes in the same way he lectures (I can see how some might find these somewhat unrelated stories entertaining). But I don't think it necessarily follows that you should write like you speak. Maybe I am in in minority here. On the other hand, I found the history of the Isles entertaining. Had my family history showed a more immediate tie to the Isles, I probably would have had greater interest and given the book a higher rating. This book was difficult for me to rate, as it was excellent in some ways, and a bit frustrating in others. Overall, the problems forced me to give it a lower rating, but I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic of DNA and history of the British Isles. I was fascinated to see how MtDNA relates to Y-DNA and that they have different histories (WOW!). The author does an excellent job of explaining this (MtDNA is the primary focus of the book, but he does address Y-DNA). I do like how he broke down the analysis of DNA by region, and slowly started to make sense of the test results. But as other reviewers have mentioned, he could have done this a lot faster - I expected more information about DNA after reading about 300 pages. On the other hand, I found the data on the DNA collection in the appendix summarized well. Tying the results of the DNA to the known history of the Isles, is the big message of the book. So if you also want a history book of the Isles with an explanation on how DNA factors into it, along with a lot side-trips dealing with issues surrounding the collection of DNA from the public, this is a book for you. Customer Rating: Summary: A DNA history Comment: An easy read of a short history of the imigration to the British Isles as validated by the DNA of their decendants. A must read for those interested in their deep genealogical sncestery. Customer Rating: Summary: Myth busting Comment: It was hard to follow much of Sykes' argument. After many pages of complicated statistical grinding, the reader is left with precious little return. Only the final part on England offered a noteworthy discovery: the essentially Celtic inheritance of the present population. But the book, admittedly limited in its scope, leaves some important questions: where did the Celtic language of the English go? Why, considering the large influx from Iberia, are there no traces of Spanish or Portugese? Still four stars is a good rating, and if anything, the foray into genetic demography whetted my appetite for more. More Reviews