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Sacred Places Europe
108 Destinations

Book Review

Sacred Places Europe cover Sacred Places Europe
Brad Olsen
Paperback,  320 pages
CCC Publishing
US $19.95, CAN $24.95
(US $11.95 from publisher)
ISBN 1-888729-12-0

Brad Olsen photoBrad Olsen's "Sacred Places" guidebook series was launched in 2000 with Sacred Places Around the World. That book, now in its second edition, earned attention from The Sunday Times of London, the San Francisco Chronicle, Spirituality & Health, Mode, and the San Francisco Examiner, which wrote:

"Olsen's marvelous drawings and mysterious maps enhance a package that is as bizarre as it is wonderfully accessible. The historical data and metaphysical ruminations make it an intriguing read."

The latest book in the series, Sacred Places Europe, follows in the tradition of Sacred Places Around the World and Sacred Places North America (2003). The new book is a detailed guide to 108 destinations in Great Britain, Ireland, France and the Low Countries, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany and the Alps, Greece, Italy and Malta, and the Iberian Peninsula.

The featured destinations are eclectic and offer something for everyone: For example, the Great Britain chapter has sections on "The Geoglyphs of Britain" and the Lindisfarne Ruins on the Northumbrian Coast, followed by a section on Liverpool and the Beatles (whose sacred status is based on John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus Christ"). As a bonus, the author includes a list of U.S.-based tour outfitters who specialize in sacred places or pilgrimages; the list includes Web addresses and phone numbers.

Author Brad Olsen (see inset photo above) is clearly a man who knows and loves his topic. If you're visiting Europe and have an interested in sacred sites from Glastonbury and Kildare to the Shroud of Turin or the Infant Jesus of Prague, Sacred Places Europe is well worth its reasonable price. You can order the book from your local bookstore, from Amazon, or--even better--from CCC Publishing, which sells Sacred Places Europe at a 40% discount from the U.S. list price of $19.95.

Next page: Excerpt: "The Shroud of Turin"


In this review:
Sacred Places Europe: 108 Destinations, by Brad Olsen
Excerpt: "The Shroud of Turin"