From Viking to Crusader

The perfect book; this is the one and only book that could have ranked higher than Jones' "A History of The Vikings". There are two separate halves to this masterpiece: the first is a compilation of several different authors, each taking on a different aspect of the Vikings: from metalworking to settling to religion, it's all here. The second half is a massive catalogue of Viking artifacts, with tons of pictures and detailed descriptions of swords, pieces of boats, combs, etc.But in addition to being incredibly well-formatted and informative, this is one of the easiest and most enjoyable books I've ever read. It's written in a way that an expert will get just as much out of it as a beginner, and, being loaded with pictures and text that varies from author to author, it's genuinely difficult to put this book down. You could spend hours just flipping through the catalogue at the end. This is more than just a book: more than any other, this one will take you back in time to the Viking Age. Very very highly recommended.

This is a very well-rounded book, giving insights into many facets of Viking life and history. It is well-written and very well organized. The index is a valuable resource for other materials relating to those subjects you would like to read more in depth. I highly recommend it!