Viking: The Norse Warrior's (Unofficial) Manual

Description

So, you want to be a Viking warrior? Fame, glory and wealth await those who brave storms and enemy spears to plunder far and wide in foreign lands. Who wouldn't like a piece of the action? To come home laden with silver, earning a reputation that will live on long after lesser men have been forgotten? Discover everything you will need to become a successful Viking warrior: how to join a war band; what to look for in a good leader; how to behave at a feast; what weapons and armour to choose; how to fight in a shield wall; where to go raiding; how to plunder a monastery and ransom a monk and how to navigate at sea. The humorous text peppered with quotes from sagas and chronicles will take you on an engrossing journey from joining a raiding party to how to die gloriously. Written by a leading authority on the period and combining the latest archaeological discoveries with modern-day reconstructions, tales from the Norse sagas and 16 pages of colour illustrations, this book paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be a Viking warrior.

John Haywood is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History, University of Lancaster and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain. A highly experienced cartographic editor and author, his many publications include The Great Migrations, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations and The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings.

'If you fancy yourself as a looting, raiding, farming, treasure-making, pagan god-worshipping expert seafarer, you need Viking ... witty and informative' - The Big Issue 'Well illustrated, boisterously light-hearted, and crammed with solid historical and archaeological information, this is a vivid window into the Viking Age' - Current World Archaeology 'Scholarly and witty ... contains many gems of irresistible information ... excellent' - School Librarian 'Stunning' - Daily Mail