--- product_id: 1701273 title: "A History of the Vikings" price: "735 kr" currency: NOK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.no/products/1701273-a-history-of-the-vikings store_origin: NO region: Norway --- # A History of the Vikings **Price:** 735 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A History of the Vikings - **How much does it cost?** 735 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.no](https://www.desertcart.no/products/1701273-a-history-of-the-vikings) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "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. Review: Masterpiece of Scholarship Compellingliy Written -- But Paperback Not Very Durable - Masterful book -- intensively and extensively researched, strikingly well-written, even compelling and memorable, but beware that this paperback edition is not well made and the back will break after you've read chapter four or five. Personally, I don't mind this, generally, because of the way I annotate and mark and fold-spindle-mutilate my favorite books. Gwyn Jones ranges through all the relevant material, which is a broad range indeed, from Newfoundland to Bagdad and beyond. With the exception of Arabic, he is a master at all the languages and literatures, from Old Norse, Welsh, Old English, Latin and their modern counterparts. This book represents an enormous depth of research and confrontation with numerous serious issues, and he expresses it in an almost physically engaging style. Although it is now quite old, the insights are still valuable and the evidence worthwhile. For example, the weighty question of why the Vikings suddenly burst out on the world stage in the eighth century. This is STILL being debated today, in spite of the most obvious explanation. Because, Jones says plainly, it was at that point that they had developed their ship-building and navigation methods, so that they could keep doing what they had always done (enterprising and enthusiastic merchants, with a touch of exuberance in claiming new markets and places to settle), just on a wider scale. Jones places the sagas and accounts into context. The Norse were just doing what Norse people did then. Jones even recognizes that the interactions and even the settlement was not entirely violent, which has been demonstrated statistically since then, in spite of recalcitrant scholars to the contrary. In a word, this is one of my favorite works of history, which is saying something. I only wish it were my field and discipline. Review: Magnificent - but overwhelming - 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. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #617,023 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #303 in Scandinavian History #634 in European History (Books) #19,137 in World History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 166 Reviews | ## Images ![A History of the Vikings - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Q+TX2wSHL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Masterpiece of Scholarship Compellingliy Written -- But Paperback Not Very Durable *by D***S on October 6, 2025* Masterful book -- intensively and extensively researched, strikingly well-written, even compelling and memorable, but beware that this paperback edition is not well made and the back will break after you've read chapter four or five. Personally, I don't mind this, generally, because of the way I annotate and mark and fold-spindle-mutilate my favorite books. Gwyn Jones ranges through all the relevant material, which is a broad range indeed, from Newfoundland to Bagdad and beyond. With the exception of Arabic, he is a master at all the languages and literatures, from Old Norse, Welsh, Old English, Latin and their modern counterparts. This book represents an enormous depth of research and confrontation with numerous serious issues, and he expresses it in an almost physically engaging style. Although it is now quite old, the insights are still valuable and the evidence worthwhile. For example, the weighty question of why the Vikings suddenly burst out on the world stage in the eighth century. This is STILL being debated today, in spite of the most obvious explanation. Because, Jones says plainly, it was at that point that they had developed their ship-building and navigation methods, so that they could keep doing what they had always done (enterprising and enthusiastic merchants, with a touch of exuberance in claiming new markets and places to settle), just on a wider scale. Jones places the sagas and accounts into context. The Norse were just doing what Norse people did then. Jones even recognizes that the interactions and even the settlement was not entirely violent, which has been demonstrated statistically since then, in spite of recalcitrant scholars to the contrary. In a word, this is one of my favorite works of history, which is saying something. I only wish it were my field and discipline. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Magnificent - but overwhelming *by D***N on October 9, 2013* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Seems very good to me *by V***A on September 8, 2013* 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. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.no/products/1701273-a-history-of-the-vikings](https://www.desertcart.no/products/1701273-a-history-of-the-vikings) --- *Product available on Desertcart Norway* *Store origin: NO* *Last updated: 2026-10-10*