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The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford Illustrated Histories)
from: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 948.022
EAN: 9780192854346
Edition: Ill
ISBN: 0192854348
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: September 20, 2001
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
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Editorial 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.
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Christian propaganda about the Vikings endures to this day.
'The Nazis adopted Viking imagary therefore the Vikings must be Nazis' - was the person who came up with that howler having a blonde moment at the time?
Apart from that gem, the Vikings:
- Interests' lay more in establishing trade routes rather than looting and pillaging cities.
- Had an intricate and surprisingly sophisticated civilization for their time.
- Were heathens (non-Christians) in a period of time in which the rest of Europe was largely Christianized. ... Read More
Rating: - Fair
This book falls below what I would expect from Oxford (at least the traditional Oxford of yester-year). The pictures are nice as well as a lot of the text. The main problem with this book is the chapter "The Vikings in History and Ledgend." The author of this essay insinuates that those who take pride in their Viking heritage are Nazis. This chapter is full of inappropriate partisan politics and hurts this book. It reads like propoganda straight out of a typical ADL hate tract.
One reader has obviously ... Read More
Rating:  - be real
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.
Rating:  - A comprehensive, intelligent history of the Vikings
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.
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