Hello, I am wanting to learn and read about the Vikings. I recently came across a man named Steve Donoghue on youtube. He has a starter kit on books he feels is a good place to start reading about Vikings. Is this list legit or just a waste of time? thank you.
Myths & Legends:
History:
Popular Culture:
I confirm that at least more than half or even about two-third of the literature mentioned above in OP's list are legit, but some latest books published in the last five years or so are certainly missing. As a whole, the book list seems to be legit and reflects basic and generally balanced knowledge of the topics [the Vikings - rather history-oriented than mythological] at least up to around 2015, though I cannot comment/ guarantee the quality of the video itself that I haven't checked it in details.
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The following is my comments on individual sections and recommended books in the list, with a few personal additional recommendations published mainly in the last decade.
(Myths & Legends)
One of the strongest pros of this list is the inclusion of the reception history of Old Norse myths and legends that too often is neglected by non-specialists ([Jón Karl Helgasson 2017]).
There are some variants of translated Elder Edda (Poetic Edda) in English, and I don't have any particular reason Taylor & Auden one is especially preferred. As a general reading (not for the strict academic purpose), I suppose Jackson Crawford (trans.), The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes, Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 2015 or Caroline Larrington (trans.), Poetic Edda, Oxford: OUP, 2014 (2nd ed.) are more accessible without any major drawback. As for the popular edition of Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson, Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes, London: Everyman, 1987 (apparently out of print and uploaded officially by the translator himself) is without doubt the best.
On the other hand, I'm not so positive in the selection of Green's book (Tales of Valhalla looks decent, but I haven't checked it by person).
[Lindow 2021] is the latest and hopefully enough readable for the starter systematic introduction of Old Norse mythology, though not strictly episode-based. [Lindow 2001] is a kind of encyclopedia of gods and heroes, based on their allusion in primary sources and scholarly discussion, so a very useful supplement reader in conjunction with the primary texts (Eddas) themselves.
(History)
I also recommended [Sawyer ed. 1997 (2001)] in AH's book list on the Vikings (to be scrolled way below, sorry).
In the last few years, the following two, long and (very) concise introductions on the Vikings has just also been published:
Eastward expansion of the Vikings/ Rus' into Russian waterways, Byzantium and further beyond is a certain "weak point" of the list.
[Hansen 2020] is a kind of popular history book of the introduction to the recent trend of "global history/ global Middle Ages" authored by the leading silk road historian, and heavily features the role of the Norse-Scandinavian people. While I don't fully agree to some evidence of highly hypothetical nature on the possible interaction between the Norse and the indigenous peoples of North and Meso-Americas in its chapters 2 and 3, the chapter 4 of her book especially offers a convenient overview on the role of slave trade in NW Eurasia and the Scandinavian involvement with it. [Jarman 2021] also traces their activity in eastward ways mainly based on scientific methods (though with a few tenuous points).
(Added): I'm a bit [edited]: sure unsure about why the book by Howard La Fay (1st ed. 1972) is mentioned in OP's list. If you are looking for richly illustrated introduction to the Vikings, National Graphic's recent special edition (linked to an introduction to their contents would instead better serve the purpose, though I cannot say all of its contents is totally up-to date or ascertained from an academic point of view. Alternatively, Haywood's another book (as a popular history book), The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1995 might also be useful as this kind of illustrated introduction with maps.
I'm also not so specialized in the military history aspects (including archaeology of weapons and armors) of the Vikings, but the works that Gareth Williams (himself is also specialized in numismatics of early medieval Britain and Scandinavia) authors are generally recommended.
[Christiansen 2002] in OP's list is....though it is one of my personal favorites from academic standpoint and certainly also readable, but might not be for the pure starter. If you are interested in the topic (within Viking Age Scandinavia, rather than the destination area of Scandinavian expansion), Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Scandinavia in the Age of Vikings, trans. Thea Kveiland, Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 2022 has also just been published (though it is still hardcover only so might not be the best in cost-performance wise). Jón Viðar (Sigurðsson) is a reputed Icelandic historian (affiliated in the university in Norway) on Viking age and medieval Scandinavia.
On the other hand, I'm not so well familiar with fictions on the Viking Age mentioned in OP's list (since I'm neither native in English nor living in Anglophone countries now) so that I hold back commenting.
I'm also willing to add a few recommended books on specific topics on the Vikings, so if you have any request, just not refraining from asking.
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(Added 2): The following introductory on the Vikings videos uploaded recently by the museum might be interesting to see:
Other museums in Scandinavia as well as British Isles are also willing to upload some interesting introductory short-films on Youtube, so check their official channel to find some interesting stuff.
(Edited): fixes typos.