Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Viking Navigators: How the Vikings Used their Amazing Sunstones and other Techniques to Cross the Open Ocean

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The book explains the author's hypotheses regarding how the Vikings accomplished their extraordinary open ocean navigation in the North Atlantic, that is, the voyages between Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and of course Vinland on the North American continent. Not discussed are Viking coastal and river voyages throughout Europe.

The author claims that the voyages were made mostly along specific latitudes, using several navigational instruments. The book describes the instruments and their operation. Fascinating is the description of "sunstones", calcite crystals that indicate the direction of the sun even in cloudy or foggy conditions.

What makes the book fun to read is that the author is clearly an accomplished sailor and navigator in high latitudes, and is familiar with the currents and landmarks used by sailors in the region. This is not a book written based only on maps and written documents, it is a book based on real experience at sea.

The appendixes include worked numerical examples of some of the navigation. I wish the underlying equations had been included or at least referenced. A nice bibliography is included, and some entries have useful annotations. I wish that the text did a better job of listing references, so the connection between the text and the bibliography entries would be clearer.

All in all, this is a very unusual and wonderful history book.

Whether you're a Viking enthusiast or not, you'll find interesting and educational reading in this book. Viking voyages come alive, and navigation by sunstone is described in an easy-to-understand manner. Fascinating reading!

The story of the Viking journeys across uncertain oceans and their skill in the use of sunstones makes for a fascinating read. This book is not only informative but is beautifully illustrated. Definitely a must read and a book that will find a permanent place on home bookshelves.