The Book of Secrets

Track listing

1. "Prologue" – 4:22
2. "The Mummers' Dance" – 6:07
3. "Skellig" – 6:07
4. "Marco Polo" – 5:15
5. "The Highwayman" – 10:19
6. "La Serenissima" – 5:09
7. "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" – 8:30
8. "Dante's Prayer" – 7:11

   Song information

• The DNA remix of "The Mummers' Dance" was made into a music video.
• "Skellig" relates the dying words of a monk from a monastery that existed during the 6th–12th centuries on the island Skellig Michael, 11.6 km west of Ireland.
• "The Highwayman" is an adaptation of the poem by Alfred Noyes.
• "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" was featured in the 1998 film Soldier.
• The music from "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" was featured in the song Kokli by Ulytau.
• "Dante's Prayer" is a reference to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

  Chart performance

Year-end charts

Personnel

• Loreena McKennitt – vocals, piano, keyboards, harp, kanun, accordion
• Anne Bourne – cello
• Aidan Brennan – acoustic guitar, mandola
• Martin Brown – acoustic guitar, mandolin, mandola
• Stuart Bruce – assembled drone, vocal drone
• Paul Clarvis – snare drum
• Nigel Eaton – hurdy-gurdy
• Steáfán Hannigan – bodhrán
• Nick Hayley – serang, rebec, lira da braccio
• Brian Hughes – oud, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, irish bouzouki, guitar synthesizer, classical guitar, vocal drone
• Robin Jeffrey – Victorian guitar
• Martin Jenkins – mandocello
• Manu Katché – drums
• Caroline Lavelle – cello
• Rick Lazar – percussion
• Joanna Levine – viola da gamba
• Hugh Marsh – violin
• Osama – violin
• Steve Pigott – additional keyboards
• Donald Quan – tabla, timba, esraj, viola, additional keyboards, vocal drone
• Hossam Ramzy – percussion
• David Rhodes – electric guitar
• Danny Thompson – acoustic bass
• Bob White – tin whistle, shawm
• String Quartet:
• * Jonathan Rees – 1st violin
• * Iain King – 2nd violin
• * Andy Brown – viola
• * Chris van Kampen – cello
• Caroline Dale – string arrangements for tracks 3,6,7
• Additional string arrangements – Brian Gascoigne and Doug Riley

  Production

• As listed in CD booklet:
• *Produced by Loreena McKennitt; assisted by Brian Hughes & Donald Quan
• *Recorded & Mixed by Kevin Killen & Stuart Bruce
• *Recording & mix assisted by Jacquie Turner, Justin Griffith, Marco Migliara
• *Mastered by Bob Ludwig
• *All songs published by Quinlan Road Music, except in Europe, South America & Southeast Asia

  Certifications