Buy a cheap copy of a history of the vikings book by gwyn jones. Gwyn jones cbe 24 may 1907 6 december 1999 was a welsh novelist and story writer. The 10 best books on the vikings norse mythology for smart. This was an interesting and informative history of the vikings, but i really would have preferred to have read a more recent account. The vikings were seafaring people from modern scandinavia.
Viking answer lady webpage childrens books about the. Due to testing my family dna, i discovered my paternal ancestry is nordic viking. This book is justifiably considered the study of the vikings history and culture. All about history book of vikings 2e 2015 uk internet archive.
The vikings have now become almost a myth, because there are so many grand stories and ideas about them. A concise history of the vikings by hourly history. Jones translations include four icelandic sagas 1935, the vatndalers saga 1944, the mabinogion 1948, in collaboration with thomas jones, egils saga 1960, eirik the red and other icelandic sagas 1961 and the norse atlantic saga 1964. A history of the vikings by jones, gwyn, 1907publication date. A concise history of the vikings ebook written by hourly history.
A history of the vikings by gwyn jones loudbookishtype. While this book is lighter on history than other books mentioned in this list, it contains very nice illustrations and diagrams. These books are designed to get children interested in history by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. Among the most feared warriors in history, the vikings terrorised the coastlines of europe for over 300 years. Enthralling, welldocumented, and vivid account by a leading authority on the subject chronicles the activities of those bold sea raiders of the north who terrorized europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Jul 19, 2001 buy a history of the vikings 2 by jones, gwyn isbn. A history of the vikings by jones, gwyn and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In the viking age, no one wrote them down, but everyone knew them, mostly by heart. A history of the vikings by gwyn jones, 97801928040, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Viking civilization is one of the most frequently studied early civilizations it also exerts a strong fascination for nonscientists. A history of the norse people ebook written by martin j dougherty.
The main gods of the vikings were odin, thor, and frey, but there were many minor gods like loki. A history of the norse people by martin j dougherty. A history of the vikings by jones, gwyn, 1907publication date 1968 topics vikings publisher london, new york etc. They were better business man than previously though as well as fearsome warrior plus including details about the bleak landscape of the frigid north of europe in place such as norway and sweden as well as denmark. The conceptual development of viking activity across the frankish realm c. An utterly splendid book, quite the most brilliantly writ. See a history of the vikings by gwyn jones1968 the welsh chroniclers, for example, made no such clear distinction. If you are not familliar with northern european languages old norse place names can be a little tough, but its an easy in from a great author who knows. Foreman was commended for the annual greenaway medal by the library association, recognising the years bestillustrated childrens book by a british subject. He also wrote a history of the vikings 1968 and kings, beasts, and heroes 1972.
Gwyn jones dispels the myths of an empire built on terror and tyranny, in the vikings. Buy a history of the vikings by gwyn jones from waterstones today. They started with the lives of kings and local saints but you have to wait until the first half. The story of the vikings picture book childrens books. The swedes raid across the baltic and penetrate deep into russia as traders. Corny jokes and plentiful colorful illustrations make it easy to get your child interested in learning more about the vikings, although the factual content of the book is quite a bit lower than the general viking history.
The only thing i would say is the names of the kings or places were only translated into english in the first mention. The danes coming in by way of england and the norwegians by way of ireland were pretty well all black. Best books on the vikings most, greatest of everything. Jones, a history of the vikings 1969, 2nd edn 1984 ul 1st edn 592. In short its a book id recommend to anyone with an interest in the viking period and im sure i shall be using it on set for vikings. Id say, the medieval norseicelandic kingly and historical sagas, as well as other mostly latin medieval scandinavian books of history. For those interested in northern history, it is a must haves. Jul 19, 2001 a history of the vikings by gwyn jones, 97801928040, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. To go along with this, the history channel began airing a series called vikings which i have thoroughly enjoyed, by the way. The main quickeners of public interest have been the announcement by the norwegian helge ingstad that evidence of norse occupation around the year has been found at lanseauxmeadows, in northern newfoundland, and the.
This book was originally published in 1968 and a huge amount of archaeological discoveries and reinterpretations have gone on since then, so i couldnt help but wonder how different a modern history would be. They made an enduring name for themselves in the 8th through the 11th centuries for being tactical warriors, smart traders, and daring explorers. Feb 15, 2017 history books top 10 books about the vikings its not all raiding and looting these stories and histories range from family dramas to political thrillers, not to mention maneating trolls. Its not that they didnt do that, but its just that they were also doing a lot of other stuff like trading, making art, exploring, farming, and hiring themselves out as mercenaries all over the place. This made me want to know more so i began by reading a brief history of the vikings.
Buy the vikings book online at the folio society from the worlds most extensive. Viking or norse gods lived in a kingdom in the sky called asgard in palaces made of gold and silver. I am really interested in learning about the history of the vikings and nordic culture. A history of the vikings gwyn jones oxford university press. A history of the vikings by gwyn jones waterstones. Jones main gist is that there is a lot of undue emphasis put on vikings raping and pillaging all over the place. Buy a history of the vikings 2 by jones, gwyn isbn. Scandinavian started writing the history of the vikings in the second half of the xiith century, which is about a century after the viking age stopped.
They had advanced seafaring skills and are known for having traveled all over the world, raiding other countries and trading goods especially in europe. In 1977 he edited the oxford book of welsh verse in english. This is an extensive, detailed and well written history of the vikings from their origin in the dark ages to 1066. The history of the viking peoples and kingdoms, from their halfglimpsed origins and legendary prehistory to the triumphs of canute, is as exciting a story as has.
Hardback a history of the vikings by gwyn jones, gwyn jones, 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. This book follows their incredible story, from their adventures overseas to the treasures they left behind. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read vikings. The vikings and their western voyages have been more in the news recently than at any time since the eleventh century. Black gentilesy kenedloed duon, black norsemeny normanyeit duon, black host, pagans, devils and the like. History books top 10 books about the vikings its not all raiding and looting these stories and histories range from family dramas to political thrillers, not to mention maneating trolls. Vikings were norse people primarily from southern scandinavia in presentday denmark, norway and sweden, who from the late 8th to late 11th centuries, raided and traded from their northern european homelands across wide areas of europe, and explored westwards to iceland, greenland, and vinland. Abundantly illustrated, the volume will be invaluable to scholars and students of nordic history.
Harald hadrada, harald bluetooth, harald fairhair, always mentioned there after as haraldur blatonn, haraldur harfagri and so on. Use arrows to rank one item in best books on the vikings vs another. Vikings history is as extensive as the people it studies. Kings, brave heroes, beautiful women, dangerous journeys, battles, fearsome dragons and otherworldly creatures were all subjects of tales told by skalds and everyone else. A history of the vikings by jones, gwyn used books and. Made up of landowning chieftains and clan heads, their retainers, freemen, and others, these scandinavians were independent farmers at home but raiders and pillagers at sea. Solid introductory history, longer and more detailed than for instance the vikings in history with fairly lengthy quotes in translation from the source material on the volga vikings in particular. The vikings believed that warriors who died bravely in battle were transported to. The 10 best books on the vikings modern replicas of viking armor and weapons photo by bernhard staerck while portrayals of the vikings in the popular imagination and culture often contain a large amount of fantasy and romanticism, theres a core of historical truth within those fanciful depictions. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Vikings from the same region later settle in the scottish islands, iceland and parts of ireland.
Viking, member of the scandinavian seafaring warriors who raided and colonized wide areas of europe from the 9th to the 11th century. Made up of landowning chieftains and clan heads, their retainers, freemen, and others, these scandinavians were independent farmers at home but raiders and pillagers at. 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. Orr illustrated html at gateway to the classics filed under.
The term is also commonly extended in modern english and other vernaculars to include the. The 10 best books on the vikings norse mythology for. A history of the vikings gwyn jones oxford university. History books vikings the story of the vikings picture book. Christian cooijmans about vikings in the frankish empire. The seafaring vikings in danish, the vikinger were a group of people that came from the scandinavian countries of norway, denmark, and sweden. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. 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. The main quickeners of public interest have been the announcement by the norwegian helge ingstad that evidence of norse occupation around the year has been found at lanseauxmeadows, in northern newfoundland, and the acquisition and publication by yale university of.
A comprehensive and thrilling history of the vikings for fans of the history channel series, soon to return for its fifth season from harald bluetooth to cnut the great, the feared seamen and plunderers of the viking age ruled norway, sweden, and denmark but roamed as far as byzantium, greenland, and america. A history of the vikings by gwyn jones librarything. The saga of erik the viking is a childrens novel written by the welsh comedian terry jones, illustrated by michael foreman, and published by pavilion in 1983. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Suggestions of books for learning viking and nordic history i am really interested in learning about the history of the vikings and nordic culture.
Viking culture was rich in stories, tales and poems. Gwyn jones cbe 24 may 1907 6 december 1999 was a welsh novelist and story writer, and a scholar and translator of nordic literature and history personal life and academic career. Suggestions of books for learning viking and nordic history. Curious if any one has any suggestions for books to start with. Heimskringla of snorri sturluson, covers the history of norwegian kings from mytholo. The largest of these palaces was odins home called valhalla. Jones, a history of the vikings 1969, 2nd edn 1984 ul 1st edn. The vikings invading eastern britain and northwest france, and eventually settling in both regions, come mainly from denmark. His life will premiere on history sunday 21 april mankind the story of all of us documentary with studies human life from the beginning of the earth, and how we have developed since.
Oxford university press second edition 1984, reissued 2001. A excellent overview of the history and culture of the norse peoples. Scandinavian studies the subject of this book is the viking realms, denmark, sweden, and norway. Jones does a great job covering a very broad subject and one does not have to be an expert to follow and enjoy this work. After that theyre written in scandinavian which you would have to remember through the whole book e. Oct 11, 2014 see a history of the vikings by gwyn jones1968 the welsh chroniclers, for example, made no such clear distinction. Deeply ok if probably a bit dated now, on the other hand, excitement about the vikings is greater than new developments, so older books still can be read with profit, really when it comes down to it.
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