A History of the Vikings

Rating:
Summary: A Comprehensive, Satisfying Survey
Review: A clearly written, well-organized review of the full range of Viking history, from dim origins to far flung diaspora, to gradual fade. The story of the Greenland colony's disappearance is bone-chilling: like a subtle horror story, or a disturbing anxiety dream about neglect and loss. The mystery of it, and the other-worldly setting, raised the hairs on my spine. The book is an ample exploration of the entire gamut of Viking history, and strives to redress some of the demonization that has traditionally beset Vikings in history, presenting the archaeological evidence (such as it was in the late 60's--which is to say, not bad) alongside the contemporary accounts (including the fascinating diary entries of Arab travelers). Much of Viking history is a puzzle, so one must bear with some of the writer's detective work regarding placenames, dates, saga deconstruction and principal actors; but it helps to know the basis of the author's conclusions--where the firm ground is, and which claims are more or less tacit. The footnotes and bibliography are extensive and helpful.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: For a comprehensive but still adequately detailed survey of the Vikings, this book cannot be beat. It deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious student of Scandinavian history.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: For me, Gwyn Jones's 'History of the Vikings' is, quite simply, far and away the best single-volume work on this subject in the English language. It first appeared back in 1968 (I first read it in the early 1970s), but has been repeatedly updated in the light of new scholarship and, unlike many works of that vintage, still reads as freshly as when it was first published.

The scope is comprehensive. He starts the story with the earliest references to Scandinavia in Greek and Roman literature (the Scandinavians didn't start writing their own history until well after the Viking period) and carries it right through to the defeat of the last Viking invasion of England in 1066. The start point couldn't be set earlier; the end point is perhaps a little arbitrary (anyone who has read Orkneyinga Saga knows there were still people around in the 12th century AD who hadn't heard the Viking age was over), but you've got to draw a line somewhere. Geographically, he covers the full sweep of the Viking world, from Newfoundland to the Volga and all points between. Unlike many writers, who treat the Viking phenomenon largely from the viewpoint of the people they attacked, he gives full weight to the Vikings at home and to the slow and painful integration of the Scandinavian homelands into more or less (often less) unified kingdoms.

Like all serious modern Viking scholars, he is healthily sceptical about the saga and legendary sources, but he uses infinite care and judgement in extracting the sparse grains of historical fact from them. He makes skilful use of the remarkable range of material from the Vikings' neighbours: monastic chronicles from Western Europe and Russia; King Alfred's debriefing of a visiting Norwegian merchant; the Byzantine Emperor's strategic review of his northern borders; and - most surprising to the newcomer in the field - the several surviving reports by Arab diplomats. He has also taken full advantage of the advances in Viking archaeology over the last 35 years. It is salutary to remember that back in the 1960s there was by no means complete acceptance of the Anse aux Meadows site in Newfoundland as Viking.

The treatment is largely narrative, but it never degenerates into a relentless chronological grind because he pauses from time to time to insert thematic chapters covering matters like ecology, ethnography, ships, navigation, and so on, and he alternates the viewpoint between the Scandinavian homelands and the Viking movements overseas, both peaceful and warlike. Also, while pursuing broad trends and root causes with scholarly acumen, he clearly relishes the personalities in Viking history, from the legendary King Dag ("unlikely death of an unlikely king" says the index entry), via Gunnhild Mother of Kings ("a famous but somewhat fictitious northern lady"), to Harald Hardradi, last and greatest of them all - warrior in Russia, captain of the Varangian Guard at Byzantium, and King of Norway, whose claim to England (the unreliable legend says) won him only seven feet of ground - "because he is taller than other men".

Jones expects from his readers the same intelligence and interest that he deployed in writing his book. He makes no compromises on coverage or on the level of debate, so the book is factually dense (or factually rich, as I prefer to see it) and closely argued, but it is never a heavy read. His style comes out of the heart of the Welsh way with English - immensely fluent, allusive, full of cross-cultural reference and the occasional sly aside. If you like that sort of thing (and I do - it must be the genes from my own Welsh grandmother) it is a huge source of entertainment, over and above the purely factual richness of the book. On the other hand, it may be a time-waster for those who don't catch the references - for example, you won't understand Jones's sly little comment on Al-Tartushi's description of Danish singing unless you know that the Welsh have a certain conceit of their own ability in the matter. But it's a great read anyway!

Rating:
Summary: If you're a fiction lover, this one's hard to wade through.
Review: I hated history in highschool (could be because the history teacher was fore-mostly the football coach) but found that as an adult I have a passion for it - ancient history, that is. However, this book was my first foray into the realm of history since that time oh so long ago. I was bedazzled with the thought of glorious battles and windy voyages at sea - and as I am mainly a fiction reader, I was unprepared for the sheer amount of _detail_ included in this book. I have found, that while it is very interesting - Gwyn Jones packs SO much information onto each page that I can hardly read more than 10 or so pages at a sitting before I need a breather - unusual for me, as I usually will finish a book in a couple of days. So while the content is well thought out and presented, if you are only a casual reader, perhaps you should get a bit more background on the Viking people first, and THEN attempt to slog through this one. (In either case, I _do_ recommend it!)

Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, scholarly, if you only read one-this is it
Review: Jones has a way of laying out evidence and reasoning that allows the reader to follow along with the process of making conclusions about the Viking era from the available evidence. I've read many viking histories and consider this one to be the best balanced, most closely reasoned.

Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues
Review: The Vikings settled Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland and possibly also Russia; they were the first to discover America; they settled towns across England, Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man; they founded Normandy in France; later the self-same Normans (Norsemen) were to conquer England, where their descendants still occupy the throne. A magnificent and ingenius people they were. This book is a nice, crisp primer on who the Vikings were and how they lived. It also serves to dispel myths: the Vikings were, for the most part, a peaceful people whose relations with their neighbors were good (for the most part). Rumors of atrocities were usually exaggerated - "Viking raid" stories were almost always written by non-Scandinavians with an ax to grind. Rather than relying exclusively on plunder, which is the popular perception, the Viking economy relied on a sophisticated mix of agriculture, manufacturing and trade, and they had a sound monetary system. Their literature was highly developed - in fact the Icelandic sagas are among history's greatest all-time best sellers. A useful reference source on the Viking achievement.

Rating:
Summary: enlightening!
Review: This may be the compleat Viking saga, however unlikely that sounds. It just seems to have everything, including Viking girth, humor and robustness. However, if your interest in the Vikings is only superficial, and your mastery of English is not quite up to it, you won't read very far. Gwyn Jones has written a densely-packed narrative (for, in spite of being very much non-fiction, he manages to keep us in a narrative stream) which requires only so many mouthfuls at a sitting. For my money, only the experienced or very persistent reader of Norse history will get along with this work, but oh what a ride he or she will have. Jones is, oh happy day, the sort of writer whose scholarly leanings have not over-reached themselves so far that he cannot take risks, sometimes in the most delightful fashion. The text abounds in marvellous one-liners, so that it is possible to imagine the writer acting the fool to some sixth century prince of a Northern realm, and having to be very quick on his feet to stay alive. There is much history here, no doubt, yet Jones has taken it and presented it all with a very large grain of salt, such that I for one, am very confident about the skipper on this particular voyage. It's a remarkable book, what more can one say. Thoroughly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Informative, but a Real Challenge
Review: Unless you're an extremely knowledgeable expert on Viking history, you can't ask for much more than this opus from Gwyn Jones if you're at all interested in the subject. Jones presents a nearly overwhelming amount of detail on the far-flung history of the Vikings, from tribal origins in Scandinavia to their voyages of conquest and trade as far afield as Constantinople and Newfoundland. When historical information is scant or doubtful, Jones fleshes out the book with rewarding studies on Viking culture, language, and society; including a refreshingly understated examination of Norse mythology. We learn that sometimes the Vikings really did deserve their reputation as bloodthirsty marauders, but at the core they were very pragmatic empire builders who were usually able to blend into the societies they conquered, especially in Russia and Britain, thus disappearing as a distinct group and enriching the cultures of those other lands. The most fascinating portion of the book concerns the Viking exploration of the new world (including the harsh Iceland and Greenland) a good 500 years before Columbus. Jones also pulls out a surprise at the end of the saga with the indirect Norwegian influence on the Norman conquest of England in 1066, while the Normans had once been Vikings themselves.

Just note that if you decide to tackle this work, you are in for a real challenge. Jones is clearly the type of historian who refuses to let any detail or piece of knowledge go unused, giving this book an often oppressive sense of information overload. Some sections could really use more brevity and big-picture conclusions rather than all the exactitude. A case in point is the intensive coverage of petty power struggles between minor figures that really makes the tail end of the book a slog. In general, Jones' use of extremely long paragraphs, some of which are more than two pages in length, plus imposingly exact footnotes, lead to some real readability issues. But if you can hunker down and tackle such difficulties, you will be able to amaze your colleagues with the knowledge of Viking history that Jones imparts.