A History of the Vikings

Jones' _A HIstory of the Vikings_ is epic in scope, detailing not only the political history of Scandanavia, but also the cultural, economic and social history of the region. Jones begins with the pre-historic record of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, discussing their geography and how it shaped and influnced culture before focusing on the period of history most associate with Scandanavia, the "viking age" between 750 - 1100.In writing about the vikings, Jones provides so much detail that it is at times overwhelming - the petty rivalries and infighting between lesser nobles, while relevant to scholars and those interested in such minutae was oftentimes distracting from the larger historical picture. That said, Jones shows the complicated variety of forces that led to viking exploration, conquest and settlement. Everything from details of the construction of the long ships to details maps of exploration and various ideas on navigation are presented. Abundant illustrations and maps of sites and the layout of viking settlements in Iceland and Greenland give detail to the sophistication of their society. Of course, no history of the vikings would be complete without a discussion of the raids that is so often associated with this group, which Jones shows from a variety of primary sources; historical context is provided around not only the internal forces that pushed the vikings westward, but also the climatalogical and sociological forces that enabled the vikings to be successful in their forays.It is a very dense book, rich with information. Those with an interest in medieval Europe in general will want to skim or skip to the relevant parts - which is rewarding and can be done easily given the clarity of the organization of the text. Historians or readers interested in all aspects of these people (or of this place and time) will similarly find much to relish here given the tremendous amount of information Jones provides. A first-rate history, strongly recommended.

I want to begin by saying that this is a very good book. Jones provides a small library of sources/continued reading and to say this is an information dense book is to vastly understate the matter.Potential buyers should know, however, that this is not so much a book that one would read as a means of relaxation: it is a book you study.There are many small details Jones does not explicitly elaborate on, expecting the reader to either have previous knowledge of this field, or to look up some basic information themselves. Some might also find her somewhat archaic vernacular to be a challenge in itself.That being said, if you're genuinely interested in Scandinavian history, I can hardly think of a better book for jumping in.

Gwynn Jones traces the origins of the various viking communities and their settlements, with the Danes making inroads into England and France, the Norwegians into North England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and America, and the Swedes into Russia.I was particularly interested in the account of the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan who describes the vikings he found in Russia as "tall as date palms". In addition, Ibn Fadlan's accounts depicts a culture that appeared to him as barbaric. "A man will have sexual intercourse with his slave girl while his companion looks on." In the event of the death of such a viking, his slave girl (after lying with her master's companions) then is ritually killed so that she might follow her master into the afterlife. The deceased viking, his sacrificed slave girl, and whatever else, is then burned in a longship.

Being entranced by the recent History Channel series "Vikings", and being of Scandinavian descent, I am eager to learn more about my forebears of the long past. "A History of the Vikings" was promised to be thorough. It is indeed that! Every minute historical detail is recorded. I wouldn't say that I read the first few pages as much as plowed through them. I even skipped around, looking for more readable fare. I want an accurate history but one that is a pleasure to read. This is likely the most intense, accurate work on the ancient history of Scandinavia but I will leave it to the scholars.Also, the paper was not high quality and the print small.

This book seems to me a thorough history, but I am no expert. Subjects of interest are broken down and described separately. There aren't many pictures, but it does have a few black-and-white maps. Some of the reading is heady, but sticks to history and goes into a good amount of detail. If you don't like to read long pages of information and prefer pictures, this may not be the book for you. I bought another Norsemen book to supplement this one, and that is what I suggest. If you only have a passing interest in Vikings, this is probably not the book for you.

Great!

This book seems to me to have been written in language intended to confuse and mystify the subject. Very old school academic style. This book would benefit GREATLY from an editor focused deeply on Kurt Vonnegut rules of writing. When describing Norway the author writes: "...in its furthest part the day-star is not hidden even by night; so that the sun, scorning the vicissitudes of day and night, ministers in unbroken presence an equal share of his radiance to either season..." Naw man... just no. I give the author credit that this overwritten, purple patch style was the style at a time when academics sought to impress those they could swirl cocktails with at parties full of elbow patched jackets. There's probably some good detail in here, but I'm going to another source and sending this old-school stuff onto the Goodwill. Sorry Gwyn... I'm sure you were an incredibly intelligent man with a lot to offer the world, but time and modern expectations of narrative have not been kind to this work.

The book arrived on time and in excellent condition. It is very intensive but lacks maps.

This book is an hard slog . It's deep heavy and not for beginners. However it's full of information and worth buying just as an index book.

Well written and informative with a peppering of wit.A great read if you want to go a few levels higher than your basic viking book, but don't have time to do a degree in Viking studies.

As advertised

Hi - very thorough- heavy reading

Comprehensive and I'm told the best Viking History book the gift recipient has read so far. Good value for money.