The World of the Vikings [Hardcover]

Richard Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2007

A vivid picture of the Vikings that draws on the latest discoveries and augments written evidence with fine archaeological detail.

Here is the complete story of the Vikings from their origins in Scandinavia during the early first millennium AD, through the incredible period of raiding, trading, and settling known as the Viking Age and the huge impact that the Vikings had on the course of European history, to the last surviving Viking settlements in fifteenth-century Greenland.

The book explores Viking life and culture in detail, from their costumes and appearance to their longhouses and towns, including Hedeby, York, and Dublin, and the extensive Viking pantheon. Viking warfare, targets, and tactics are analyzed, as are their weapons, crafts, and other artifacts—including their stunning pattern-welded swords, their helmets, and their hoards. The ship, the linchpin of the Viking world, is described and illustrated with numerous examples, among them Oseberg and Nydam. Box features complement the text, covering subjects as diverse as runes, navigation, silver hoards, and the sagas. 330 illustrations, 165 in color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This densely packed, highly informative compilation provides a thorough overview of what is currently known about the Vikings, from both historical sources and archaeological research. Hall, the Director of Archaeology at the York Archaeological Trust, has extensive excavation experience, and uses that experience to discuss, among other sites, the Viking city of Jorvik (beneath present-day York, U.K.). He also delves into broader Viking research, providing, for instance, a comparative chronology charting the history of archaeological investigations into Viking areas of Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland and North America. This chart, located in the book's early pages, proves to be an indispensible reading guide, anchoring events in the broader history of the Viking Age. Illustrations include photos of artifacts, monuments and sites; both broad-scale and fine-scale maps; and diagrams illustrating details of Viking artistic style. A thorough index and guide to further reading make this volume a fine reference, though it could have used an equally thorough glossary. Exceptionally small print allows Hall to pack in a trove of information; while readers may have to reach for magnifying specs, the effort is fully repaid by this remarkably well-done survey of the Viking Age. 330 illustrations.
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About the Author

Richard Hall is Director of Archaeology at York Archaeological Trust, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (March 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500051445
• ISBN-13: 978-0500051443
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > History > Europe > Scandinavia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A survey with a little something extra, March 30, 2008

By 

Catherine Raymond (Malvern, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World of the Vikings (Hardcover)

There are many survey-type histories of the Viking world, stuffed with pretty pictures. What distinguishes Hall's "World of the Vikings" from the rest is his inclusion of information about relatively new finds, and his ability (in light of his experience with the dig in York) to write about them clearly and concisely for a lay audience. A fine book for the person just learning about the Vikings, and still useful for more knowledgeable persons because of the updated archaeological information.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The World of the Vikings, November 16, 2007

By 

Fizz (Beloit, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World of the Vikings (Hardcover)

The World of the Vikings, Richard Hall, Thames&Hudson, is both a well researched work and one with "coffee table" appeal for its great illustrations. It is unusual to find this depth of scholarship combined with illustrations of this quality.

The author brings the Vikings to life again with clear descriptions of the evidence we have about them. You will conclude with the sense that you were there to see them, and you will have plenty of resources to further research any gaps you might feel.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read., January 17, 2008

By 

Constantinos Mavromoustakos "Konstantine Mavr... (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World of the Vikings (Hardcover)

The books reads like a history book but very well written and gives a very good diversity of information. Covers migration paths and major trade cities. The illustrations are awesome and really complement the book.