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Leif Eriksson and the Viking Sagas

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

Voyages of the Great Explorers

Essential Reading

Item EXVIK7. Buy these 4 items as a set for $80 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Eyewitness Guide St. Petersburg

Eyewitness Guide St. Petersburg

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 264 PAGES

With excellent local maps and site plans, this outstanding visual guide introduces the culture, history and attractions of St. Petersburg. (RUS87, $25.00)

Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings

Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings

by John Haywood

  • REFERENCE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

The history of the Vikings told through a series of innovative maps and excellent photographs. This book traces the route of the 9th-century Viking merchants and explorers throughout Europe and on to the New World. (VIK02, $20.00)

Last Places, A Journey in the North

Last Places, A Journey in the North

by Lawrence Millman | Paul Theroux

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 242 PAGES

Millman explores the culture and history of the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland in this often-hilarious account of his travels in the wake of the ancient Vikings. (ARC54, $15.95)

Wildlife of the North Atlantic, A Cruising Guide

Wildlife of the North Atlantic, A Cruising Guide

by Tony Soper | Dan Powell

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

This compact, illustrated guide covers the many petrels, ducks, gulls, terns and other seabirds along with whales and dolphins of not just the British Isles but all the way across the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. (ATL26, $25.99)

 
A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland

A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland


by T.K Derry

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 447 PAGES

Scandinavia from prehistory to the present with chapters on the Viking and Lutheran kingdoms, medieval times, monarchies, the World Wars and modern period, emphasizing the common cultural, political and social backgrounds. (SCN03, $25.00)

Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History

Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History


by Terry G. Lacy

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

A longtime resident of Reykjavik, Lacy weaves tales of family life, anecdote, lore and history into this illuminating personal portrait of Iceland. (ICL03, $25.95)

Stone Voices, The Search for Scotland

Stone Voices, The Search for Scotland


by Neal Ascherson

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Ascherson writes with verve and insight on the centuries-old impulse toward nationhood in Scotland in this absorbing portrait, interweaving history with archaeology, myth and his own interviews and travels. (SCT66, $27.00)

Sunlight at Midnight: St. Petersburg and the Rise of Modern Russia

Sunlight at Midnight: St. Petersburg and the Rise of Modern Russia


by W. Bruce Lincoln

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

A wonderfully written, informative portrait of St. Petersburg, focusing on the city's development in the 18th and 19th centuries as Russia's "window on the West." Highly recommended for travelers with an interest in the character and significance of the city and its monuments. (RUS128, $19.95)

The Baltic Revolution

The Baltic Revolution


by Anatol Lieven

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 454 PAGES

A Latvian correspondent for the London Times, Lieven weaves history, interviews and analysis into a vivid cultural portrait of post-Glasnost Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. (BLT02, $47.00)

The Vikings

The Vikings


by Else Roesdahl

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

This well-written look at Norse civilization goes beyond the limited view of the ruthless Viking invaders, creating a full picture of the vibrant, artistic, agricultural and ex-ploratory culture (VIK09, $17.00)

The Vikings and America


by Eric Wahlgren

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

An insightful account of the Vikings' discovery and exploration of America, based on archaeology and the ancient sagas. With site diagrams and black-and-white photographs throughout. (VIK12, $18.95)

The Vikings, Lords of the Seas

The Vikings, Lords of the Seas


by Yves Cohat

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

An indispensable reference that fits in your pocket, this slim volume is packed with maps, archival photographs, and illustrations. It tells of the Norse homeland, discoveries and settlements, and also features a useful chronology and excerpts from the Viking Sagas. Part of the "Discoveries" series. (VIK01, $15.95)

Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga

Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga


by William Fitzhugh | Elisabeth Ward

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

An extensively illustrated volume of Viking culture, history and exploration that focuses especially on voyages to North America. Published in conjunction with a Smithsonian exhibit, it features essays and 400 color photographs. (VIK11, $34.95)

St. Petersburg, Architecture of the Tsars

St. Petersburg, Architecture of the Tsars


by Dmitri Shvidkovsky | Alexander Orloff

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1996
  • HARD COVER
  • 360 PAGES

This definitive book presents Baroque masterpieces of Peter the Great, Neoclassic confections of Catherine the Great and Art Nouveau glitter of Nicholas II in splendid color photographs. (RUS152, $95.00)

An Innocent in Newfoundland, Even More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters

An Innocent in Newfoundland, Even More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters


by David W. McFadden

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

In this entertaining chronicle and portrait of Newfoundland, McFadden stops in to visit poets and writers, pays homage to the Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows, admires the puffins and -- as usual -- visits a few taverns en route. (NFL20, $16.95)

Farthest North

Farthest North


by Fridtjof Nansen

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 678 PAGES

The great Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen's classic account of the voyage of the Fram, originally published in 1897, interspersed with dozens of original photographs. (ARC60, $17.95)

Iceland, Land of the Sagas

Iceland, Land of the Sagas


by Jon Krakauer | David Roberts

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Krakauer and colleague David Roberts hike and climb around Iceland in this classic travel narrative, reissued as a paperback and featuring Krakauer's color photographs. The book interweaves the natural and cultural history of the island with the authors' own adventures. (ICL07, $24.00)

Peter the Great, His Life and World

Peter the Great, His Life and World


by Robert Massie

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 914 PAGES

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Massie portrays the giant of history who transformed Russia from backwater tsardom into a major empire. (RUS48, $21.00)

The Fellowship of Ghosts, Travels in the Land of Midnight Sun

The Fellowship of Ghosts, Travels in the Land of Midnight Sun


by Paul Watkins

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 233 PAGES

Novelist Watkins tries his hand at travel, interweaving a memoir of his own experiences in Norway with those of early eccentric visitors. His solo wanderings also take into account the beautiful Norwegian countryside, with vivid descriptions of dramatic cliffs and expansive snowfields. (NOR35, $16.00)

The Sagas of Icelanders

The Sagas of Icelanders


by Jane Smiley | Robert Kellog

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

Nine sagas and six tales composed between the years 1000 and 1500, including an account of Leif Eriksson's voyage to North America, all newly translated. With an introduction by Jane Smiley. (ICL13, $25.00)

This Cold Heaven

This Cold Heaven


by Gretel Ehrlich

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Ehrlich spent seven seasons in Greenland, mostly alone, traveling by boat, helicopter, plane and dogsled. This exhilarating book reflects her insight, knowledge and deep appreciation of the people and barren landscapes of the north. (ARC107, $18.95)

We Die Alone

We Die Alone


by David Howarth

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

Howarth's riveting account of courage, determination and valor in Nazi-occupied Norway follows Jan Baalrud's extraordinary escape by ski across the Lyngen Alps. (NOR14, $16.95)

Jar City

Jar City


by Arnaldur Indridason

  • MYSTERY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Indridason's first moody police procedural finds Reykjavik detective Erlendur Sveinsson investigating the brutal murder of a lonely pensioner, and the man's connection to the deaths of a number of young women. The series continues with Silence of the Grave (ICL36), Voices (ICL53), The Draining Lake (ICL52) and more. (ICL27, $15.00)

Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath, The Wife, The Cross

Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath, The Wife, The Cross


by Sigrid Undset | Tina Nunnally

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 1184 PAGES

A masterful historical epic by the Nobel Prize-winning author, first published in 1927. This omnibus edition follows the life of one woman from birth to death in devoutly Catholic 14th-century Norway. A cornerstone of Scandinavian literature, the trilogy is a powerful introduction to the medieval society. (NOR40, $25.00)

Mysteries

Mysteries


by Knut Hamsun | Sverre Lyngstad

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

An odd character settles in a small Norwegian village and charms the locals. First published in 1890, this book is an insightful look at life in Norway and our favorite of Hamsun's many novels. (NOR08, $16.00)

Norwegian Folk Tales

Norwegian Folk Tales


by Peter Asbjornsen

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1982
  • PAPER
  • 188 PAGES

This rich collection of stories, interpreted by a leading scholar on ancient traditions and tales, will delight both adults and children. (NOR06, $15.95)

Orkneyinga Saga, The History of the Earls of Orkney

Orkneyinga Saga, The History of the Earls of Orkney


by Hermann Palssom | Paul Edwards

  • LITERATURE
  • 1981
  • PAPER
  • 253 PAGES

A fusion of myth and legend, circa A.D. 1200, by an unnamed Icelandic author. The medieval chronicle has its center of action among the Orkney Islands, describing their conquest by Norwegian kings during the Viking expansion of the ninth century. (VIK07, $16.00)

Stockholm, City of My Dreams

Stockholm, City of My Dreams


by Pers Anders Fogelstrom

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

Young Henning Nilsson arrives in Stockholm on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, eager for success, love and a fully experienced life, in this Swedish classic of historical realist fiction, happily now available in an English translation. (SWE22, $18.95)

The Dogs of Riga

The Dogs of Riga


by Henning Mankell

  • MYSTERY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

Swedish detective Kurt Wallander travels from Ystad to Latvia on the shadowy trail of a grisly murder in this second book, steeped in Baltic ambiance. (BLT24, $15.00)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


by Stieg Larsson

  • MYSTERY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Larsson combines murder mystery, family saga, love story and financial intrigue into a complex and atmospheric novel set in Stockholm and the snowy landscapes of northern Sweden. (SWE54, $15.95)

The Greenlanders

The Greenlanders


by Jane Smiley

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 608 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

This marvelously researched novel recreates life in the Viking settlements in Greenland. (ARC08, $15.95)

The Norse Myths

The Norse Myths


by Kevin Crossley-Holland

  • LITERATURE
  • 1981
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

This classic collection includes 32 tales of Nordic gods, goddesses and heroes. With an overview of the Norse world, cosmology and gods. (SCN38, $17.95)

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Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.