گردونه تاریخ جلد ۳۵: وایکینگ ها

U.S. Landmark Books #12

by Elizabeth Janeway, سیروس بهروزی (ترجمه)

لیف اریکسون، یکی از دریانوردان وایکینگ، در قرن یازده میلادی می‌زیست و بر اساس افسانه‌ها و چند اشاره تاریخی به شمال قاره آمریکا دست یافته بود. در این زمان کشتی‌های خوش‌ساخت وایکینگها و دانشی که از ستاره‌شناسی داشتند به آنها اجازه می‌داد دریاها و اقیانوسها را درنوردند. لیف از اروپای شمالی به گرینلند رفت تا با شاه آنجا ملاقات کند. در آنجا از وجود سرزمینهایی در غرب آگاه می‌شود و به کشف این سرزمینها می‌رود. کتاب وایکینگها داستان کشف آمریکا توسط لیف است.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, World History, Historical, Biography, School

160 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

American author and critic born Elizabeth Ames Hall. When her family fell on hard times during the Depression, Janeway was forced to end her Swarthmore College education and help support the family by creating bargain basement sale slogans (she graduated from Barnard College just a few years later, in 1935).

Intent on becoming an author, Janeway took the same creative writing class again and again to help hone her craft. While working on her first novel, The Walsh Girls, she met and married Eliot Janeway, economic adviser to Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson (he was known as "Calamity Janeway" for his pessimistic economic forecasts).

The Janeways mingled with United States Supreme Court justices and many other luminaries of the day.

At the behest of labor organizer Walter Reuther, she aided General Motors workers with their mid-1940s strike against the company.

Her 1949 novel The Question of Gregory attracted attention due to the eerie similarities between Gregory and James Forrestal, a Defense Secretary and acquaintance of the Janeways who committed suicide. Janeway denied any connection between fact and fiction; she said the real theme of the book was "liberals in trouble".

In all, Janeway wrote seven novels; one, 1945's Daisy Kenyon, was made into a film starring Joan Crawford. For a time she was a reviewer for the New York Times. In that capacity she introduced writer Anthony Powell and served as a champion of controversial works such as Lolita. She was also a reviewer for Ms. magazine.

From 1965-1969 she served as president of the Authors Guild, addressing lawmakers about copyright protection and other matters.

Many of Janeway's early works focused on the family situation, with occasional glimpses at the struggles of women in modern society. In the early 1970s, she began a more explicitly feminist path with works such as Man's World, Woman's Place: A Study of Social Mythology. She befriended Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Kate Millet and was strongly in favor of abortion rights. Janeway continued to write and go on lecture tours. She learned to speak Russian so that she could visit the Soviet Union.

Janeway was a judge for the National Book Awards in 1955 and for the Pulitzer Prize in 1971. She was an executive of International PEN. At its 1981 commencement ceremonies, her alma mater Barnard College awarded Janeway its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.

Reviews

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان تاریخی و جالبی از زندگی افرادی که نخستین بار پا به قاره امریکا گذاشتند..قرن ها قبل از کلمب..

[Arman · Rating 4 out of 5]

براساس یافته های باستانشناختی، پیش از کشف آمریکا به قاره آمریکا، این پارکینگ ها بودند که برای اولین بار به این قاره پا گذاشتند.
نویسنده بر همین اساس، داستان خيالي این سفر را روایت کرده است.

این کتاب آن زمان بقدری چسبید که باعث علاقه مندی من به فرهنگ نوردیک و اسطوره های آن شد.

[Joanna Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

First chapter book read aloud in our homeschool journey! We are loving Beautiful Feet Books, especially Thomas!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging and fun read! I think the kids were pleasantly surprised.

[Kelly Hohenstern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another landmark book which included many stories of Eric the Red and Leif Erickson. Enjoyed learning about Viking life.

[Niki (nikilovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

We recently finished The Vikings as part of our Early American history unit. It was a fun read that was perfect for upper elementary age kids. We also enjoyed the photos included in the back with Viking related things.

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much more interesting than I was expecting, ngl. 😂 Excellent first school read-aloud.

[Elisabeth Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my son for our history. I am always a bit concerned with old books that there will be a lot of historical inaccuracies. I am no expert on Vikings, so there could have been errors, but it didn't seem like it. It was well written and my rather picky 10 yo really liked it. The only thing I didn't like was referring to Native Americans or First Tribe as Savages, but since this was a read- a -loud I could stop and we could discuss how this is not an accurate term etc. Otherwise I would recommend.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For history in school I am reading literature books out loud to my children. This was the first stop on our journey through Early American history.

We loved the story and my kids (age 4-12) all got different things out of it. It is well-documented and definitely fictionalized, too, and because of that it dives deeper into what everyday life was like for these men and women.

We had some interesting discussions during and after reading. I don't know that any of my children would love reading this on their own, but it definitely held their interest while I read it out loud.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an enjoyable little book, telling the history of Eric the Red and Leif Ericsson and their discoveries of Greenland and North America. It is part of Random House's "Landmark Books" series of histories, popular from the 1940-1960s with middle school kids. Janeway's work is certainly novelistic. Still, while her fictional detail is expertly handled, the nonfiction elements remain primary. The narrative never lags, and Janeway never talks down to her reader.

If you are fortunate to find an original Landmark copy, these books were handsomely designed, and the illustrations by Henry C. Pitz for this volume are gorgeous.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this as part of our Early American History study. I read it aloud to my children and it kept everyone’s attention. It is a fictionalized biography about Eric the Red and Leif Erikson. Be sure to read the introduction, as it shares what comes from true accounts and what is fictionalized. Even though some is fictionalized, they are based on historical accounts from the time. It was very well done and full of great language and vocabulary.

[Carson Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This landmark was well-written and interesting, like most landmarks. I have almost never read a landmark as fast as I read this one. I did fail to see what was so significant about the first eighty pages or so. I think, also, because they did not stay there, and because they did not try to tell other people about the land they had discovered, than the vikings should not be as highly rated as some would put them.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of the Early American History literature package that my children and I are working our way through this school year from Beautiful Feet Books. All six of my older boys: ages 14 down to 3, really enjoyed this story and the themes it presented. I enjoyed reading it to them and discussing things like courage, honor, sacrifice, and even laughing along at the humor in the story.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book was based on Norwegian sagas and archilogical discoveries. Although one chapter was fictional, over all, I think it should be called a non-fiction book as most of the events recorded actually did happen.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love historical fiction books. Read this to the kids as our first history book. Great story about Leif Erikson and how he discovered North America.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for my 4th grader’s history assignment

[Krystal 🦢 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with the kids for school. Ages 4-12, all enjoyed it. Interesting story of Leif Erickson and his life and journey to the American continent.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-read for 7th grade history.

[Issac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was really good and it was a lot about Leif found America from Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and America.

[Sara K Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for Early American History via Beautiful Feet curriculum. Very enjoyable and helpful as living history.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history-based story that helped make the time of the vikings come alive for my boys.

[Elisabeth Harmon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A step above a textbook. But not a very big step. The salty sea was not tasted. The cold not felt. But it probably was more interesting than a textbook.

[Ashley Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I much prefer learning about history through historical fiction. This one, more fact than fiction, was still a good "novel" type read. My boys and I enjoyed it.

[Serity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with the girls for History and I learned a lot of new things!

[Amy Seneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great addition to our homeschool Middle Ages studies. All my kids (ages 8-16) enjoyed this well-written and engaging living history book.

[Janet Smoly]

This was a required reading for my sons early American History curriculum by Beautiful Feet books. It’s an reprint of the original Landmark series of books.

[Desiree Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read aloud! My fourth and second grader as well as my toddler were all amazed and captivated by the adventures in the book.

[Nicole Keaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, clean, kind of boring but my 4th grader was interested enough with me reading it as animatedly as possible.

[Jessica Rupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for kids to give a sweeping narrative of Leif’s early days and discoveries. All 3 of my boys (10, 8, 6) enjoyed the story telling and learned quite a bit. Used for early American history.

[Anna Hofmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for I's 4th grade early American history. Not our favorite read....but we made it through! :) We did learn a few things about the Vikings.