Sweden: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene)) [Paperback]

Martina Sprague (Author)

Book Description

Series: Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene) | Publication Date: August 1, 2005

The history of Sweden is the history of the new Europe. Martina Sprague gives us the insider's Sweden, from the Ice Age to the modern socialist state. This short history is ideal for travelers, students, and anyone who wants to more about the homeland of their Ikea bookcase. With its midnight sun and Gulf Stream climate, Sweden is a land of contradictions. It is home to petroglyphs dating from 9000 BC, thriving high-tech industries, and the ubiquitous design chain Ikea. A comparatively peaceful and economically stable twentieth century secured its reputation as a great place to live, with a solid economy and a generous welfare system. Emigration reversed itself-now more than ten percent of the country's nine million residents were born abroad. When Sweden entered the EU in 1995, its borders became easier for tourists and immigrants to cross. This short history is ideal for travelers, students, and those with an eye on the new Europe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martina Sprague

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books; illustrated edition edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781811147
• ISBN-13: 978-0781811149
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > History > Europe > Sweden
  • #71 in Books > History > Europe > Scandinavia

More About the Author

Martina Sprague is a military historian and martial artist. Her most recent book, Swedish Volunteers in the Russo-Finnish Winter War, 1939-40, is a history of combat and neutrality politics at the start of World War II. Her next book, Lessons in the Art of War: Martial Strategies for the Successful Fighter, compares Asian and Western martial arts with a focus on the theories of Sun Tzu and Carl von Clausewitz. This book will be released by Tuttle Publishing in 2011. For more information about this exciting new study, please visit Martina's Web site: www.modernfighter.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to Swedish History, March 31, 2006

By 

Erik Kalvehagen "Scandinavian History Buff" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweden: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene)) (Paperback)

Martina Sprague in her book Sweden: An Illustrated History, brings the story of this Nordic country to those who don't have a background in the basics of Swedish history. She opens the door quite elegantly for the outsider to the exciting battles, wars, adventures and hardships the Swedish people had to endure over numerous centuries. Starting at the very beginning Sprague (a native of Sweden herself) takes the reader on a brisk yet absorbing journey from the Ice Age, circa 10,000BC, all the way up to the assassination of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in September of 2003. This book is a very fast paced introduction to the basics of Swedish history, where the author tries to touch on as many subjects as possible, but does not by any means go in depth. The reader learns about the Viking Age (circa 800 to 1050BC) and about the independent farmers who overthrew King Albrekt in 1389 because of high taxation in favor of the Danish Queen Margereta, who then goes on to establish the Kalmar Union (a dynastic union between Sweden, Denmark and Norway) in 1397. She then goes on to lightly discuss Sweden's struggle to throw off the Danish yoke in the 1523 Gustav Vasa Revolution, in which the nation finally became fully independent and actually had an empire of her own, with Finland, Poland, parts of Northern Prussia and Estonia under her control. Then comes the stories of the numerous northern wars fought against Denmark, and Poland. Sprague moves into the Twentieth Century (after Sweden lost her empire, with the exception of Norway 1814-1905) criticizing Sweden's decision to stay neutral in both World Wars, while at the same time staying very balanced as an historian should be. Overall this balanced approach to introduce Swedish history to the masses is welcomed, but don't expect to become very well versed in the different tides of Swedish history by reading this book alone. I would recommend this book not to the serious students of history, but to those who would like to learn a little about a subject they rarely hear anything about.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A VERY GOOD INTRODUCTION TO SWEDISH HISTORY., October 12, 2010

By 

Forhasta (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweden: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene)) (Paperback)

This book seems to be written to wet the appetite of those interested in Sweden's history. After reading this, we recommend that you do, one can branch off into more specific areas of interest. This book is well-wriiten and the author has worked hard painting a fair and objective picture of Sweden. Worth reading!!!