Iceland: Land of the Sagas

Another coffee table paperweight? Not by a long shot! I am planning a trip to Iceland and have been reading fairly intensively in the subject. When I began reading this book, I did not expect to learn much. What a pleasant surprise! I spent a whole Sunday poring through it and was surprised at how excellent the text is -- and how well Jon Kracauer's superb photographs supplements it. David Roberts digs deep into the sagas, quoting from such relatively abstruse sources as GIMLI'S SAGA, GRETTIR'S SAGA, and BARD'S SAGA. The helpful bibliography lists a number of works I never knew existed, including a book by Sir Richard Francis Burton, the African explorer, about a summer he spent in Iceland as well as a number of rare travel books written by Europeans going back as far as the 18th century. One thing unique about this book is that Roberts and Kracauer visit many out-of-the-way places mentioned in the sagas, such as the almost inaccessible Isle of Drangey, where Grettir the Strong met his death. If you hope to visit Iceland, get this book first. It will give you not only an excellent background in the sagas but an awe for this isolated land that is so close and yet so far.

I ordered this book before coming to Iceland-- When I received the book I first was amazed by the Photography, it was outstanding. I couldn't wait until I was in Iceland so that I visit some of the places I saw in the book. (It looks even better in person-- no trick photography here) I also read about the sagas-- Sagas in Iceland are a very big part of the culture--No ifs ands or buts. They love telling stories about the sagas and thanks to this book I have been able to carry on some interesting conversations with the local Icelandic folks. Most sagas are rich with excitment. If you are looking for a book with great photos mixed with Icelandic culture-- Here's your book!

Truly a beautiful book! I would have expected to pay quite a bit more for the heavy paper and breathtaking pictures.I found it to be an excellent introduction to Iceland. The first 40% of the book is devoted to a general introduction to the land, early history, and flora and fauna. After that, the authors intertwine travelogue and stories from the Icelandic sagas to give a picture of early Iceland, and how the history, geography and people have all combined to produce today's Iceland. About half text, half stunning pictures, this book is a must-have!

I'm fascinated with Iceland. I'm a freak, I guess. For some reason, I want nothing more than to learn the entire history of the country and then move there. Being the "Icelandite" that I am, I read any literature on the country that I can get my hands on. This book was excellent. A perfecr combination of color photos and text. The text is filled with and almost exclusively pertains to the Icelandic sagas. Reading excerts from them and then looking at pictures of the sites where they took place gives you a great idea of what it must've been like to live in Iceland about 1000 years ago. It also gives you a good picture of what daily like is like. It shows you the contrasts between city life in Reykjavik, and country life in... well, just about everywhere else. Being the isolated country that it is, Iceland has had the chance to develop and nuture its own very individual culture.