The Vikings

by Jonathan M. Wooding

Feared pirates, intrepid navigators, skilled craftsmen- these are the bold Vikings who erupted into history at the end of the eighth century and forged the destiny of nations.
"The Vikings "reveals the lives of ordinary people living in these extraordinary times-- the beautiful jewelry they crafted, and charming toys for their children; the early pagan sacrifices, including human sacrifice; the mysterious runes, the written language of the Vikings; and of course the remarkable ships in which they invaded so many lands. Interwoven throughout the book are tales of famous Norse adventurers and excerpts from the Icelandic sagas, stories of gods and myths that are still enchanting today.
The photographs depict the beauty of jewelry and artifacts created in gold, silver, bronze, and stone; a fascinating reconstruction of a Viking Age house; the "horn of plenty" in which the most precious valuables of the dead are buried with the body; an ice-skate made from a leather shoe and a sharpened bone; and Icelandic farmhouses with roofs of turf, resembling the nearby hills.
With the talent of a storyteller, the author weaves the true tale of the Viking race in a style that is accessible to students, intriguing to adult readers, and provides an ideal introduction to this Nordic culture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1998

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Managing a used bookstore, there's often only a snatch of time now and then to read anything beyond a magazine article. This short, profusely illustrated book worked well in the circumstance. The photographs, many new to me, are in color. The text is divided into short sections of two pages or less, topically arranged.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even say what the focus of this book is. It is a hodge podge of factoids and opinions with a bunch of pictures. The author just wrote 'stuff'. I kept thinking, 'maybe the next chapter will be informative' - but no. Pass this one by.

[Stephanie Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Older but still has some good information. My main issue was the layout. It did not seem well organized and jumped from topic to topic. When I first flipped through it I thought it would be very well laid out with nice desserts and decided paragraphs but on reading it was all over the place.

[Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, yet the format does not lend itself well to the content within.
There are a few inaccuracies (eg Kyiv is not in russia) regarding Eastern European context.

[Mary Tuohy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be fascinating and full of interesting information, some of which I was unaware of. The pictures were stunning and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a history buff.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, quick book with a general overview of the Vikings. It includes a lot of nice photos of various items and locations.

[Janell Simoni Timmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little overview of the Viking era. It's a quick read with LOTS of color photos.