Finding Celtic Materials

Written materials are generally a necessary resource for anybody serious about learning a foreign language. The Internet is certainly a great resource, but it is usually good to have several print references, as well. You probably already know that reading information online and in print are two totally different experiences, and you may find one better than the other for retaining material. But Celtic material isn't usually very easy to come by, as your local bookstores don't stock piles of dictionaries and other books in any of the languages. But the Internet is an excellent place to find out what sort of materials are available, and even the major book sites like Amazon.com have more than you might expect.

Many of the Celtic languages have government support, so there may be a government body dedicated to publishing in the language. If one exists, there is most likely a website where you can find out more info, if not actually browse a catalog and order online. There are also many independent organizations devoted to Celtic language publishing, and these have similar websites. And naturally, both types of organizations have offline presences, many having physical stores. See the bottom of this article for links to some government and non-government bodies.

There are numerous other websites that offer information about materials for learners, and these fall into two categories: general language material sites and personal websites. General language material sites are those of companies that produce materials for learning many different languages. Celtic languages are sometimes represented. Personal websites are another place you can occasionally find information about ordering books. Many people interested in Celtic languages have taken advantage of the various Internet referral programs and set up links to books on theirsites. For example, Amazon.com offers 5% of the total purchases for general referrals. If you are click on a link to Amazon from another site and then buy something, chances are someone is receiving a percentage, which is even higher if the link was to a specific book. Other referral programs are very similar.

If you are interested in finding materials without using the Internet, it is certainly possible. It is nice to be able to look through a book before deciding to fork over $10 (or sometimes much more). You can look for Celtic books almost anywhere, but you'll have trouble finding them unless you locate a shop specializing in things Celtic. Specialists are naturally the best. If you are on the search and happen to walk by a new age shop, it might be worth checking, because sometimes such interests coincide. But if you browse the section of your nearby Borders or other corporate bookstore, you're bound to found a few books in Celtic languages. It's better than most smaller local bookshops, but the selection is still very limited. However, happily, you can order whatever you want (within certain limitations) from bookstores now. Not all smaller shops may do this, but the corporate stores always do. And generally there is no fee (such as shipping), and you are not obligated to buy it. One thing to remember is that it may take a very long time (like 2 months) for the store to receive the book, because often such obscure things won't be in stock in their warehouses, and they have to order from the publisher. This is different from the Celtic specialists, such as those online, because they actually stock most of the books.