The Tain
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
At the heart of Irish mythology lies a saga of cattle, kingship, and conflict so ancient it predates the written word — The Tain is the closest Ireland has to a national epic, and Thomas Kinsella's landmark translation brings the thunderous Táin Bó Cúailnge roaring into the English language. Set in the Iron Age landscapes of Ulster and Connacht, the tale chronicles the great cattle raid launched by the formidable Queen Medb of Connacht against Ulster, whose warriors are mysteriously stricken by a curse — all save the young hero Cú Chulainn, who stands alone against an army in a series of breathtaking single combats. Accompanied by the visceral brush drawings of Louis le Brocquy, this edition unites literary precision with visual power in a way that honours the raw energy of its source material. Kinsella's translation is both a scholarly achievement and a work of literary art, rendering the archaic cadences of Old Irish into prose that crackles with dramatic immediacy, dark humour, and a mythic grandeur rarely matched in translation. The Tain stands as a cornerstone of Celtic literature, drawing comparisons to Homer's Iliad in its scope and its unflinching portrait of heroic culture — a world where glory and tragedy are inseparable. For readers who wish to understand the deep roots of Irish identity, history, and storytelling, this Oxford Paperbacks edition remains the definitive gateway into that ancient and magnificent world.
Author: Thomas Kinsella
Format: Paperback
Genre: Myths & legends
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
At the heart of Irish mythology lies a saga of cattle, kingship, and conflict so ancient it predates the written word — The Tain is the closest Ireland has to a national epic, and Thomas Kinsella's landmark translation brings the thunderous Táin Bó Cúailnge roaring into the English language. Set in the Iron Age landscapes of Ulster and Connacht, the tale chronicles the great cattle raid launched by the formidable Queen Medb of Connacht against Ulster, whose warriors are mysteriously stricken by a curse — all save the young hero Cú Chulainn, who stands alone against an army in a series of breathtaking single combats. Accompanied by the visceral brush drawings of Louis le Brocquy, this edition unites literary precision with visual power in a way that honours the raw energy of its source material. Kinsella's translation is both a scholarly achievement and a work of literary art, rendering the archaic cadences of Old Irish into prose that crackles with dramatic immediacy, dark humour, and a mythic grandeur rarely matched in translation. The Tain stands as a cornerstone of Celtic literature, drawing comparisons to Homer's Iliad in its scope and its unflinching portrait of heroic culture — a world where glory and tragedy are inseparable. For readers who wish to understand the deep roots of Irish identity, history, and storytelling, this Oxford Paperbacks edition remains the definitive gateway into that ancient and magnificent world.