St David of Dewisland

The lore and legend of the patron saint of Wales - his cult in early times and traditions that have survived him up to the present day - are the subject of this highly readable booklet by St Davids historian Nona Rees. She shows how the stories about Saint David, Dewi Sant, relate to the peninsula of Dewisland in west Wales, where the saint was born, lived, worked and died. The Norman cathedral that stands on the site of David's first monastery is a sanctuary that still draws pilgrims from Wales and from all over the world

St Davids historian Nona Rees has spent most of her life in St Davids and is librarian at the cathedral library. In this slim volume, she combines scholarly research with accounts of myth and legend to portray the most charismatic of all the Welsh saints and to place him in his historical and geographical context. The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs by Aled Hughes and sketches by Terry John, and Rees uses extracts from the work of various poets, from Ieuan ap Rhydderch and Gwynfardd Brycheiniog to R S Thomas and Raymond Garlick, to illuminate her text. With each chapter divided into clearly-headed sections, Reess book is easy to refer to and would be an ideal travelling companion for any visit to St Davids and the surrounding area (the Dewisland of the title). The central map marks the places mentioned in the text and associated with the saint: the brooding outcrop of Clegyr Boia, where David is said to have overcome a pagan chieftain in a ritualised three-part confrontation; Capel y Pistyll, the traditional site of Davids baptism; and Ty Gwyn, the ancient monastery of Maucan (now rather prosaically a self-catering holiday cottage) Â steeped in history and legend and overlooking the stunning Whitesands Bay or former Porth Mawr, where a land route dating back to prehistoric times reached the sea. But this is far more than a walking in the footsteps of the saint-type guidebook. Reess knowledgeable and far-ranging text is an excellent brief introduction to the life and times of Waless patron saint. Each chapter is extensively footnoted and the author provides a thorough bibliography of sources for the curious reader who wishes to learn more. Suzy Ceulan Hughes It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council