HINDS, Kathryn . Early Germans . ISBN 978-0-7614-4064-2 . LC 2008055789. HINDS, Kathryn . Goths . ISBN 978-0-7614-4065-9 . LC 2009014114. HINDS, Kathryn . Vikings . ISBN 978-0-7614-4074-1 . LC 2008039052. ea vol: 80p. (Barbarians! Series). maps. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark . 2009. Tr $24.95. Gr 6-8 Using well-documented original sources and archaeological research, Hinds tells the story of people not always given a voice, expanding the ancient world beyond Rome, Greece, Egypt, and China. Calling people Barbarians, however, foreshadows an issue of perspective in a number of the volumes. "Barbarian," as explained in the introduction to each volume, derives from the Greek for people who did not understand their language and thus were viewed as uncivilized. Unfortunately, though the introduction claims that these people were civilized in their own ways, the lives of the subjects are revealed mainly in relation to the Greco-Roman world, and more focus is put on the battles and conflicts fought with the Romans, Greeks, or Persians than on what kinds of lives these "Barbarians" led. The exception is Vikings , which takes much from the Norse sagas and other sources to create a fascinating, accurate look at these people at the height of their power. The texts are interspersed with historical paintings, photos of period sculptures and other objects, as well as artists' renderings. Whole-page boxes detail specifics such as religion, archaeological discoveries, and fighting techniques. Each volume includes sources for all quotes, which make these books great choices for research, and they're accessible enough to grab general readers. Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Hinds begins each series volume with a well-crafted, two-page introduction explaining the origins of bookÆs subject. It is a nice set up for these books that provide individual histories of the tribes that lived on the borders of ancient empires. Although non-historians may see Celts only as ancestors to the Irish and British, Ancient Celts focuses on much earlier history, following the tribes from Eastern Europe in fourth-century BCE as they migrate to the Northeastern edge of the Roman empire in first-century CE. A brief final chapter addresses their descendents today. Grounded in archaeological evidence, this book is nicely balanced between men and women, and across Europe. As the Celts move west, Greek and Roman writersÆ observations are included as well. Goths, focusing on the first through fifth centuries CE, has a broader written history upon which to draw, and Hinds takes advantage, quoting liberally from Roman historians. This approach slants the record, however, as the Goths and Rome were only sometime allies. Still Hinds provides a clear history of the interactions between the Goths and their various European and Asian neighbors. Both volumes have wonderful photographs of contemporaneous and more recent artwork and sculpture, which bring the tribes to life for the modern reader. Mostly chronological, both books are well written and well documented (endnotes provide references for quotes as well as additional reading). In merely eighty pages, Hinds provides both the histories and numerous jumping off points for further study.ùBeth Karpas.