The Viking Age: A Reader

Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures #14

by Angus A. Somerville (Editor), R. Andrew McDonald (Editor)

In this extensively revised third edition of The Viking Age: A Reader, Somerville and McDonald successfully bring the Vikings and their world to life for twenty-first-century students and instructors. The diversity of the Viking era is revealed through the remarkable range and variety of sources presented as well as the geographical and chronological coverage of the readings.

The third edition has been reorganized into fifteen chapters. Many new sources have been added, including material on gender and warrior women, and a completely new final chapter traces the continuing cultural influence of the Vikings to the present day. into the twenty-first century. The use of visual material has been expanded significantly, and updated maps illustrate historical developments throughout the Viking Age. The NorseEnglish translations of Norse texts, many of them new to this collection, are straightforward and easily accessible, while chapter introductions contextualize the readings.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Read For School, Archaeology, School

552 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[Shane Findlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editors will warn you before each chapter. ‘So and so may not be fact.’ ‘So and so may be embellished.’ ‘So and so may have never happened.’
You get the point. If you are looking for ‘facts’, this is not the book. Mildly entertaining with the theme - ‘Oh, you’re not Christian? Convert! Now! Or I’ll kill you!’. Such was organized religion.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable compilation of readings covering every dimension of The Viking Age. Angus Somerville was one of my uni profs and I could hear his voice reciting the words in my head at times in the sections he translated.

[Claire Gagnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reader publishes multiple primary source translations to help readers gain a sense of what the Viking Age is. Spans from its beginning to its revival movements through WWII (the latter is not for the faint hearted…).

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primary sources for Viking Age texts.

[PJ Pfeiffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean it's a very comprehensive history of Vikings, what their life was like, etc. It took me a while to read but did not hate it. Except there were too many poems.

[Lauren Shackelford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I basically read this whole thing for class which means I get to count it

[Avani · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expansive look into the Viking Age, chock full of a wide variety of primary sources.