Iceland   |   READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Books These 4 items are available for $72, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXICL09)		  
Independent People, An Epic  •  Halldor Laxness
LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES • FAVORITE
A masterwork redolent of rural Icelandic life in the early days of the 20th century. This great mock-epic features Bjartur of Summerhouses -- a hard-headed, independent-minded sheep farmer whose voice dominates the story. Whatever its ethnographic interest, this is a tremendously good book, rich in local detail. The author won the Nobel Prize in 1955. (ICL01, $16.00)		   Independent People, An Epic
Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History  •  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)		   Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History
Insight Guide Iceland  •  Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 360 PAGES
This beautiful guide features wonderful photographs and essays prepared by experts on Iceland. The emphasis here is on providing an understanding of the history, culture, landscapes and attractions of the country. Maps and practical information are secondary. (ICL04, $22.99)		   Insight Guide Iceland
Iceland Adventure Map  •  National Geographic Society
2011 •  MAP
A detailed double-sided map of Iceland, at a scale of 1:465,000. Printed on tear- and water-reistant paper, this National Geographic Adventure map is based on the cartography of Reise Know-How Verlag and the exclelent World Mapping Project. Two Sides. 27 X 39 inches. (ICL05, $11.95)		   Iceland Adventure Map



Also Recommended

Bradt Guide Iceland  •  Andrew Evans   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A detailed, personable guide in the venerable British series with a focus on natural treasures, including glaciers, lava flows and rugged coastlines. (ICL42, $25.99)
 		  
Lonely Planet Iceland  •  Deanna Swaney   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This concise guide to Iceland includes short essays on history, culture and attractions and plenty of practical travel information. (ICL06, $23.99)
 		  
A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland  •  T.K Derry   • HISTORY  •  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)
 		  
The History of Iceland  •  Gunnar Karlsson   • HISTORY  •  A history of Iceland from the Viking era through colonization, independence and the 20th century. Karlsson draws on the sagas and rich literature of Iceland in presenting this comprehensive history. (ICL17, $25.50)
 		  
The Vikings, Lords of the Seas  •  Yves Cohat   • HISTORY  •  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  •  William Fitzhugh  •  Elisabeth Ward   • HISTORY  •  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)
 		  
Frost on My Moustache, The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer  •  Tim Moore   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  In this inspired folly, a British comic heads to Iceland, Spitsbergen and other northern locales in pursuit of a fictitious Arctic hero. (ARC74, $16.99)
 		  
Iceland, Land of the Sagas  •  Jon Krakauer  •  David Roberts   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  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)
 		  
Last Places, A Journey in the North  •  Lawrence Millman  •  Paul Theroux   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  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)
 		  
Letters from Iceland  •  W.H. Auden   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Written with fellow poet Louis MacNiece, this quirky, under-appreciated masterpiece captures the spirit of Iceland, its people and landscapes. (ICL49, $24.95)
 		  
The Far Traveler, Voyages of a Viking Woman  •  Nancy Marie Brown   • EXPLORATION  •  Brown's intriguing account of the life of the young Viking woman Gudrid sheds light on early Norse settlements in Iceland, Newfoundland and beyond. It's an archaeological mystery, a history of ancient seamanship and a biography all rolled into one. (VIK26, $15.00)
 		  
The Sagas of Icelanders  •  Jane Smiley  •  Robert Kellog   • EXPLORATION  •  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)
 		  
Arctic Chill  •  Arnaldur Indridason   • MYSTERY  •  Another chilling police procedural set in contemporary Iceland, the fifth in the series. (ICL46, $15.00)
 		  
Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories  •  Herman Palsson   • LITERATURE  •  This collection of the most famous of Icelandic sagas includes stories with titles like Thorstein the Staff-Struck and Ale Hood. Dating from the 12th century, these tales vividly recreate the society of medieval Iceland. (ICL31, $14.00)
 		  
Hypothermia, A Thriller  •  Arnaldur Indridason   • MYSTERY  •  In this sixth haunting book in the series launched with the Gold Dagger-winning Jar City (ICL27) Reykjavik Inspector Erlendur faces the heart-shattering truth of his own past. (ICL51, $15.00)
 		  
Jar City  •  Arnaldur Indridason   • MYSTERY  •  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)
 		  
Silence of the Grave  •  Arnaldur Indridason   • MYSTERY  •  Reykjavik police inspector Erlendur Sveinsson uncovers an old skeleton and unsavory secrets in Indridason's excellent second crime novel translated into English. Winner of the 2005 Gold Dagger award. (ICL36, $15.00)
 		  
The Fish Can Sing  •  Halldor Laxness  •  Magnus Magnusson   • LITERATURE  •  A quirky, moving coming-of-age tale set in Reykjavik at the turn of the last century, featuring an unforgettable cast of Icelandic characters. Laxness, who also wrote Independent People (ICL01), won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. (ICL14, $15.00)
 		  
The Prose Edda  •  Snorri Sturluson  •  Jesse Byock   • LITERATURE  •  A new translation of one of the most influential and entertaining medieval Icelandic sagas, the source for much of what we know of Norse mythology. (ICL26, $17.65)
 		  
The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason's Tale  •  Keneva Kunz   • LITERATURE  •  This beloved Icelandic saga from the 13th century, possibly written by a woman, recounts years of betrayal, battle and romance: the stories of headstrong heroines in a changing world. In a new translation. (VIK31, $16.00)
 		  
Under the Glacier  •  Halldor Laxness  •  Magnus Magnusson   • LITERATURE  •  Laxness brings the full range of his wit, humor, humanity and imagination to this strange, rather sleight, and amusing book, in which a Church of Iceland envoy travels inland to investigate the strange goings-on in a remote parish. (ICL24, $15.00)
 		  
Voices  •  Arnaldur Indridason   • MYSTERY  •  Inspector Erlendur returns in this third thriller set in Reykjavik, where the Christmas rush is at its peak and a man dressed as Santa has been brutally stabbed in a local hotel. (ICL53, $15.00)
 		  
A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic  •  E.C. Pielou   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  Our best-selling book on the Arctic, this guide covers the geography and climate, plants, birds and wildlife of the circumpolar north. (ARC03, $22.00)
 		  
Arctic Dreams  •  Barry Lopez   • NATURAL HISTORY • FAVORITE  •  A dazzling meditation on the Arctic, breathtaking in scope. Lopez draws on his travels throughout the North, including Baffin Island, the Chukchi and Bering seas, Alaska, the Yukon and Greenland, interweaving natural history, accounts of early exploration, anecdote and lore into an indelible portrait of place. (ARC11, $16.00)
 		  
Iceland  •  Einar Mar Jonsson  •  Guillaume Cannat  •  Patrick Desgraupes   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  The French landscape photographer Desgraupes captures the natural beauty of Iceland in 175 color-saturated photographs. (ICL38, $45.00)
 		  
The Control of Nature  •  John McPhee   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  A bestseller in the classic McPhee tradition, this book explores our generally feeble attempts to combat all-powerful nature, including efforts by Icelanders to control the flow of a volcano. (NAT01, $16.00)
 		  
Volcanoes, Crucibles of Change  •  Richard Fisher   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  A complete primer for the volcano lover, this heavily illustrated book covers types of volcanoes and eruptions, worldwide distribution and the physics of their formation. (GEO02, $29.95)
 		  
Volcanoes, Fire From the Earth  •  Maurice Krafft   • NATURAL HISTORY • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  By the great French volcanologist (who died on the job on Mount Unzen in Japan in 1992), this pocket guide features hundreds of full-color paintings, traces the study of volcanoes from early myth and legend to modern science. (GEO06, $15.95)
 		  
Birds of Europe  •  Lars Svensson   • FIELD GUIDE • FAVORITE  •  Featuring 3,500 glorious paintings by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom, the second revised edition of this exquisite guide has been brought up to date with revised text and maps. (FG47, $29.95)
 		  
Marine Mammals of the North Atlantic  •  Carl Christian Kinze   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A guide to the marine mammals of the North Atlantic featuring 250 color illustrations. (FG60, $26.95)
 		  
Pocket Guide to the Birds of Britain and North-West Europe  •  Chris Kightley   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A compact field-friendly guide to the birds found in the British Isles and the Faroes, Scandinavia and Northwest Europe. (EUR50, $27.00)
 		  
The Arctic, A Guide to Coastal Wildlife  •  Tony Soper   • FIELD GUIDE  •  This compact guide to coastal marine mammals and seabirds of the circumpolar north features handsome watercolor illustrations and lively text. (ARC85, $21.95)
 		  
 
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