The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford Illustrated Histories) |
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| Title: | The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford Illustrated Histories) |
| Author: | Peter Sawyer (Editor) |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press, USA |
| Type: | Book / Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 20 September, 2001 |
| ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0192854348 / 9780192854346 |
| List Price: | $27.99 |
| You Save: | $8.87 |
| Amazon Price: | $19.12 |
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This book is also available, brand-new, from 3rd-party marketplace sellers at Amazon.com, from $16.82.
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
With settlements stretching across a vast expanse and with legends of their exploits extending even farther, the Vikings were the most far-flung and feared people of their time. Yet the archaeological and historical records are so scant that the true nature of Viking civilization remains shrouded in mystery.
In this richly illustrated volume, twelve leading scholars draw on the latest research and archaeological evidence to provide the clearest picture yet of this fabled people. Painting a fascinating portrait of the influences that the "Northmen" had on foreign lands, the contributors trace Viking excursions to the British Islands, Russia, Greenland, and the northern tip of Newfoundland, which the Vikings called "Vinlund." We meet the great Viking kings: from King Godfred, King of the Danes, who led campaigns against Charlemagne in Saxony, to King Harald Bluetooth, the first of the Christian rulers, who helped unify Scandinavia and introduced a modern infrastructure of bridges and roads. The volume also looks at the day-to-day social life of the Vikings, describing their almost religious reverence for boats and boat-building, and their deep bond with the sea that is still visible in the etymology of such English words as "anchor," "boat," "rudder," and "fishing," all of which can be traced back to Old Norse roots. But perhaps most importantly, the book goes a long way towards answering the age-old question of who these intriguing people were.
From sagas to shipbuilding, from funeral rites to the fur trade, this superb volume is an indispensable guide to the Viking world.
Amazon.com Review
Everyone feared the Vikings during their three centuries of terror, which lasted roughly from the start of the 8th century to the end of the 11th century. They are best remembered as cruel pagan raiders from the frigid north, but their vibrant warrior culture also managed to transform the north Atlantic and much of Russia through trade and settlement. Their seafaring exploits, passed down through the generations in a series of entertaining sagas, led them to Iceland, Greenland, and even North America (which they called "Vinland"). These accomplishments are truly extraordinary, and reveal how a group of people often belittled as cruel brutes actually expanded the frontiers of human knowledge. Peter Sawyer has pulled together a group of accomplished scholars, including Janet L. Nelson and Simon Keynes, to contribute chapters to this attractive, full-color volume. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings contains the very latest information available about the Vikings and their often violent--but always intriguing--ways.
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Customer Reviews:
• A Nordic Primer
13 August, 2009
A perfect reference is rare. This book is not a 100% perfect source of information on Nordic history, but its generally a good start for the uninitiated.
The primary value I found from this volume was a clarification of the literary sources, such as the Sagas, and how they relate to the study of Viking heritage. A considerable volume of Icelandic Sagas was actually found in the remains of a farm-house that was being demolished! Imagine what literature has already been lost forever, under similar circumstances. We will never know what we have lost. We have an idea of generally knowing what was lost, by what literary sources managed to be saved.
Here is an indication of Viking influence one-thousand years later:
If you have read some of the "history" written by stodgy, opinionated, British academics-types from the mid 19th century, you will see some laughable attempts by misguided nationalists to derisively dismis the Norse people as merely "rude, crude, pillaging barbarians". Such banter was rather common-place in Europe, with the nationalistic posturings of professors who overly-subscribed to glorified perceptions of their own nations' histories.
...But the truth, was far more complex!
The archeological findings of the last century, have shown us that the "crude barbarian" image of the Nordic people was quite inaccurate. The Sagas alone were already evidence enough.
DNA technology revealed something even more astounding. It turns out that, Britain has so much Nordic DNA in its population, they can almost be classified as a Nordic people themselves! The stodgy old professor didn't realize he was deriding an ancestor!
In our time, some fools naively and stupidly compare the Vikings to "Nazis". Absolutely ridiculous!
There is a reason for the vast spread of Nordic DNA in Europe. The Vikings, in their many settlements throughout Europe, ASSIMILATED with the indigenous people: mainly Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Finland, France, and Russia. I don't think "Nazis" would "condescend" to assimilate with anyone.
- Amazon Customer Review
• A Comprehensive, Intelligent History Of The Vikings
06 April, 1999
This is one of the best books on the Vikings I've ever read (and I've read dozens!). With numerous contributors from many universtities, each chapter is written with detailed authority and offers a fresh perspective. The chonology at the back of the book is a bonus feature. My only criticism is that, depspite chapters on exploration to the west (what I consider to be the most important legacy of the Vikings), Sawyer still tends to let the British perspective of victimization by the Vikings dominate the book.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Be Real
26 March, 2003
if ya get all romantic thinking about the vikings, just remember that they were the nazis of their day, in terms of senseless destruction and inhumanity.
- Amazon Customer Review
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