The World of the Vikings

This densely packed, highly informative compilation provides a thorough overview of what is currently known about the Vikings, from both historical sources and archaeological research. Hall, the Director of Archaeology at the York Archaeological Trust, has extensive excavation experience, and uses that experience to discuss, among other sites, the Viking city of Jorvik (beneath present-day York, U.K.). He also delves into broader Viking research, providing, for instance, a comparative chronology charting the history of archaeological investigations into Viking areas of Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland and North America. This chart, located in the book's early pages, proves to be an indispensible reading guide, anchoring events in the broader history of the Viking Age. Illustrations include photos of artifacts, monuments and sites; both broad-scale and fine-scale maps; and diagrams illustrating details of Viking artistic style. A thorough index and guide to further reading make this volume a fine reference, though it could have used an equally thorough glossary. Exceptionally small print allows Hall to pack in a trove of information; while readers may have to reach for magnifying specs, the effort is fully repaid by this remarkably well-done survey of the Viking Age. 330 illustrations.