A History of the Vikings 2nd Edition

by Gwyn Jones (Author)

129 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0192801340

ISBN-10: 0192801341

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"An utterly splendid book, quite the most brilliantly written, balanced, and explanative general work on the Vikings ever to appear in English or in any language."-- Scandinavian Studies

The subject of this book is the Viking realms, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, their civilization and culture, and their many sided achievements at home and abroad.
A highly readable narrative follows the development of these Northern peoples--the Nordmenn--from their origins and the legendary pre-history to the military triumphs of Canute and the defeat of Harald Hardrádi at Stamford Bridge in 1066, which symbolically ended the Viking age.
The book recounts the Vikings' exploits in war, trade, and colonization: the assault on Western Christendom; the trading and military ventures to the Slav and Muslim worlds and to Byzantium; and the western voyages of discovery and settlement to Greenland, Iceland, and America.
Numerous photographs, maps, and drawings contribute to Gwyn Jones's rounded portrait of Viking civilization and vividly evoke the importance in their culture of religion, art, and seafaring.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Excellent revision and useful for both graduates and undergraduates."--Benjamin T. Hudson, Pennsylvania State University

"In this revised edition of his 1968 volume, hailed as the definitive study of the three hundred years during which Scandinavians changed the face of medieval Europe, Jones has updated his text to incorporate the latest scholarly findings from both Europe and North America."--The Philadelphia
Inquirer

"Excellent survey - in-depth and well balanced."--Cassandra Potts, Middlebury College

About the Author

Gwyn Jones is Emeritus Professor of English Language and Literature, University College, Cardiff

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (July 19, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 552 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192801341
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192801340
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.4 x 4.9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #575,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #380 in Scandinavian History
- #1,472 in European History (Books)
- #23,170 in World History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
129 ratings

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5 star		72%
4 star		11%
3 star		8%
2 star		7%
1 star		2%

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Jason

Overwritten in all the wrong places

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2020

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This book seems to me to have been written in language intended to confuse and mystify the subject. Very old school academic style. This book would benefit GREATLY from an editor focused deeply on Kurt Vonnegut rules of writing. When describing Norway the author writes: "...in its furthest part the day-star is not hidden even by night; so that the sun, scorning the vicissitudes of day and night, ministers in unbroken presence an equal share of his radiance to either season..." Naw man... just no. I give the author credit that this overwritten, purple patch style was the style at a time when academics sought to impress those they could swirl cocktails with at parties full of elbow patched jackets. There's probably some good detail in here, but I'm going to another source and sending this old-school stuff onto the Goodwill. Sorry Gwyn... I'm sure you were an incredibly intelligent man with a lot to offer the world, but time and modern expectations of narrative have not been kind to this work.

3 people found this helpful

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doc peterson

Magnificent - but overwhelming

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2013

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Jones' _A HIstory of the Vikings_ is epic in scope, detailing not only the political history of Scandanavia, but also the cultural, economic and social history of the region. Jones begins with the pre-historic record of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, discussing their geography and how it shaped and influnced culture before focusing on the period of history most associate with Scandanavia, the "viking age" between 750 - 1100.

In writing about the vikings, Jones provides so much detail that it is at times overwhelming - the petty rivalries and infighting between lesser nobles, while relevant to scholars and those interested in such minutae was oftentimes distracting from the larger historical picture. That said, Jones shows the complicated variety of forces that led to viking exploration, conquest and settlement. Everything from details of the construction of the long ships to details maps of exploration and various ideas on navigation are presented. Abundant illustrations and maps of sites and the layout of viking settlements in Iceland and Greenland give detail to the sophistication of their society. Of course, no history of the vikings would be complete without a discussion of the raids that is so often associated with this group, which Jones shows from a variety of primary sources; historical context is provided around not only the internal forces that pushed the vikings westward, but also the climatalogical and sociological forces that enabled the vikings to be successful in their forays.

It is a very dense book, rich with information. Those with an interest in medieval Europe in general will want to skim or skip to the relevant parts - which is rewarding and can be done easily given the clarity of the organization of the text. Historians or readers interested in all aspects of these people (or of this place and time) will similarly find much to relish here given the tremendous amount of information Jones provides. A first-rate history, strongly recommended.

17 people found this helpful

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Clayton Carson

Challenging, but rewarding

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2015

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I want to begin by saying that this is a very good book. Jones provides a small library of sources/continued reading and to say this is an information dense book is to vastly understate the matter.

Potential buyers should know, however, that this is not so much a book that one would read as a means of relaxation: it is a book you study.

There are many small details Jones does not explicitly elaborate on, expecting the reader to either have previous knowledge of this field, or to look up some basic information themselves. Some might also find her somewhat archaic vernacular to be a challenge in itself.

That being said, if you're genuinely interested in Scandinavian history, I can hardly think of a better book for jumping in.

10 people found this helpful

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Tor

Seems very good to me

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013

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This book seems to me a thorough history, but I am no expert. Subjects of interest are broken down and described separately. There aren't many pictures, but it does have a few black-and-white maps. Some of the reading is heady, but sticks to history and goes into a good amount of detail. If you don't like to read long pages of information and prefer pictures, this may not be the book for you. I bought another Norsemen book to supplement this one, and that is what I suggest. If you only have a passing interest in Vikings, this is probably not the book for you.

5 people found this helpful

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Ulfilas

The Vikings: mecantile pirates or piratical merchants?

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2011

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Gwynn Jones traces the origins of the various viking communities and their settlements, with the Danes making inroads into England and France, the Norwegians into North England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and America, and the Swedes into Russia.

I was particularly interested in the account of the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan who describes the vikings he found in Russia as "tall as date palms". In addition, Ibn Fadlan's accounts depicts a culture that appeared to him as barbaric. "A man will have sexual intercourse with his slave girl while his companion looks on." In the event of the death of such a viking, his slave girl (after lying with her master's companions) then is ritually killed so that she might follow her master into the afterlife. The deceased viking, his sacrificed slave girl, and whatever else, is then burned in a longship.

10 people found this helpful

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Tatertot

Great book needs more maps

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019

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The book arrived on time and in excellent condition. It is very intensive but lacks maps.

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Claire

For a historical book it is incredibly easy to read and full of interesting information

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2016

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For a historical book it is incredibly easy to read and full of interesting information! I can barely put it down and it has inspired me to look into further information regarding the Vikings!

8 people found this helpful

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Dustin

Great book super informational

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021

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Great!

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Truthful Reviews

Long gard book to read or should i say study.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2018

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This book is an hard slog . It's deep heavy and not for beginners. However it's full of information and worth buying just as an index book.

Juliano

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2018

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Hi - very thorough- heavy reading

warwick bergin

As advertised. Interesting read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2019

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As advertised

Angus Watson

A great read if you want to go a few levels ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2015

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Well written and informative with a peppering of wit.
A great read if you want to go a few levels higher than your basic viking book, but don't have time to do a degree in Viking studies.

One person found this helpful

Clare W

Perfect present for the Viking enthusiast

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

Comprehensive and I'm told the best Viking History book the gift recipient has read so far. Good value for money.

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A History of the Vikings 2nd Edition

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