Land Under the Pole Star

by Helge Ingstad

A thousand years ago, twenty-five ocean-going Viking ships under the leadership of that most outstanding man, Eirik the Red, set out on one of the greatest pioneering enterprises of all time....Only fourteen of the vessels would arrive at their goal - the remote, newly discovered island of Greenland. The two Greenland settlements were to flourish for five centuries. Their seamen, with Leif Eiriksson in the lead, sailed even further west and made the first exploration of the North American continent. But after the fifteenth century, the community disappeared from known history....Helge Ingstad, the widely acclaimed Norwegian explorer and man of letters, set out to rediscover additional traces of this Medieval Norse colony, to reconstruct its way of life and to penetrate some of its unsolved mysteries. In his book he presents the discoveries he has made from on-site investigations and from a rigorous study of archaeological and historical data....

381 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1966

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic combination of travelogue and history. It got me interested in seeing Greenland, which turned out to be an expensive obsession but worth it. Also a gateway drug for Kirsten Seaver's "The Frozen Echo" and "Maps, Myths and Men."

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read about the Norse Greenlandic colony, especially regarding the mystery surrounding the collapse of the colony.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive coverage of the history of the Norse settlements in Greenland. Perhaps one of the best. I do not think any more modern work is as comprehensive or offers any more than this 50 year old book. Good reading and very informative for those interested in the topic.