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19 b/w illustrations
312 pages
Size: 21.7 x 13.8 cm
ISBN10: 1843833166
ISBN13: 9781843833161
Binding: Paperback
First published: 2007
Price: $19.99 / £10.99 |
The early voyages into the
deep waters of the Atlantic rank among the greatest feats of exploration. In
tiny, fragile vessels the Irish monks searched for desolate places in the
ocean in which to pursue their vocation; their successors, the Vikings, with
their superb ship-building skills, created fast, sea-worthy craft which took
them far out into the unknown, until they finally reached Greenland and
America.
G.J. Marcus looks at the history of these expeditions not only as a
historian, but also as a practical sailor. Besides the problem of what these
early explorers actually achieved, he poses the even more fascinating
question of how they did it, without compass, quadrant, or astrolabe. From
the opening descriptions of the launching of a curach on the Aran Islands,
through the great pages of the Norse Sagas describing the first recorded
sighting of America, the author brilliantly conveys the excitement and
danger of the conquest of the North Atlantic in a narrative that is based
equally on scholarly research and sound seamanship.
G.J. MARCUS's previous books include The Maiden Voyage, on the sinking of
the Titanic.
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A wide-ranging, thorough and detailed study of the
evidence for the colonisation of the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland and,
naturally, the Norse voyages to America. MARINER'S MIRROR 
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42 b/w illustrations
3 line illustrations
216 pages
Size: 23.4 x 15.6 cm
ISBN10: 1843831864
ISBN13: 9781843831860
Binding: Hardback
First published: 2005
Price: $47.95 / £25.00
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Runes, a unique functional
writing system, exclusive to northern and eastern Europe, were used for some
1300 years in Scandinavia, from about AD 200 till around the end of the
fourteenth century, when the runic alphabet, called fuark after the six first
characters, finally gave way to the modern writing system.
Runes were not written, but carved - in stone, and on jewellery, weapons,
utensils and wood. The content of the inscriptions is very varied, from owner
and carpenter attributions on artefacts to memorials to the deceased on erected
stones; contrary to popular belief, they are not necessarily magical or
mystical, and the post-it notes of today have their forerunners in such runic
reminders as: 'Buy salt, and don't forget gloves for Sigrid.' The typical
medieval runic inscription varies from the deeply religious to the highly
trivial [or perhaps crucial], such as 'I slept with Vigdis when I was in
Stavanger'.
This book presents an accessible account of the Norwegian examples throughout
the period of their use. The runic inscriptions are discussed not only from a
linguistic point of view but also as sources of information on Norwegian history
and culture.
TERJE SPURKLAND is Associate Professor of Nordic Medieval Studies at the
University of Oslo.
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An ideal teaching text.
[...] This well illustrated book will make an excellent teaching tool.
TOEBI NEWSLETTER
A very useful survey. RUNA
A highly accessible resource for scholars interested in Norwegian runes and
Scandinavian runology more generally [and] a useful introduction to the issues
of reading and interpreting runic inscriptions.
JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN EARLY MEDIEVAL ASSOCIATION
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