The ever-vigilant Dave Lull, good friend of this blog, sent me the following article from the Wall Street Journal: Five Best Books on the Vikings, by Neil Price. Aside from the obvious defect of overlooking my own work, it’s an interesting list from a man who is no mean author himself.

Just to divert the income stream to our blog, I’ll list the list here:

The Viking Achievement, by Foote and Wilson

Valkyrie, by Friðriksdóttir

The Poetic Edda, translated by Larrington

The Road to Hel, by Ellis

Egil’s Saga, translated by Scudder

“But what do you think of the list?” you must surely be wondering.

Well, it’s not bad. The Viking Achievement is a book I’ve treasured for many years. It’s quite an old work now, and when I first read it long ago (while I was writing The Year of the Warrior), I assumed it would be just another historical/cultural guide. I found an excellently researched book, full of stuff I didn’t know already. We’ve had a lot of new discoveries since it was written, of course, and a new book along its lines is badly needed. In fact, I was pretty sure I found one a few years back and reviewed it here, but I can’t find it in our archives.

Valkyrie is a book I do not know. It may be very good. But I’ll tell you the truth – I avoid the whole topic of Viking women nowadays, since feminist scholars have gone all agog over the discovery of a couple women’s graves containing armor. I don’t think anyone can discuss women’s role in Viking society rationally at this point in history. (Myself included.)

I’ve read a couple translations of The Poetic Edda, but I don’t think Larrington’s is one of them. Anyone interested in the Vikings should certainly read one.

I haven’t read The Road to Hel, either. Hilda Ellis (also known as Hilda Ellis Davidson) was a foremost Viking scholar, so I really ought to correct this omission. However, the book appears to be out of print, and used copies are expensive.

Egil’s Saga, of course, I’ve read numerous times and in various translations, including this one. I’ve even read it in the scholarly Complete Sagas of Icelanders, but Scudder is, imho, more readable for the non-specialist

Bottom line: Neil Price knows his business, and this is a worthwhile list. I should probably compile one of my own, though my library is in such disarray right now that it would probably involve a lot of work.