Recommendation for books about Vikings.

by YasserPunch

I've been watching the History Channel's Vikings show and now I'm really interested in Vikings. I want to read a book that has the history and culture of Vikings laid out. I'm thinking of buying one of these three books:

What books do you suggest I read (it doesn't have to be from the books listed above)?

textandtrowel

Hiya! Check out my recommendations here and let me know if you have any questions.

I'd probably start with Sawyer's Oxford Illustrated History or Winroth's Age of the Vikings, which are both pretty good introductions. Then, if you'd like to dig a bit deeper, Brink and Price's Viking World is a good bridge into research that's presented for a bit more of an academic audience, or dig right into some of the primary sources, like the excellent and impressively thick Sagas of the Icelanders. I also really like the Islamic perspective in Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness.

Note that Winroth didn't make my earlier list, and I'd probably add Graham-Campbell's Viking Art as well, although it's a bit more of a specialized study. The primary sources also aren't on the earlier list, but they can be found with a quick google. Penguin does some really good editions of these, and I think the handsome Legends from the Ancient North set is especially worth picking up.

comradejedi

A Brief History of the Vikings by Jonathan Clements https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Vikings-Pagans-Europeans/dp/0786715995