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This digital document is an article from Church History, published by American Society of Church History on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1030 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Christianization of Iceland: Priests, Power, and Social Change 1000-1300.(Book Review)
Author: Kirsten Wolf
Publication: Church History (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: American Society of Church History
Volume: 72Issue: 1Page: 197(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Product Description
A study of rural settlement in Iceland, this volume deals with the nature and distribution of habitations in Iceland since its first settlement in the 8th century, and examines the extent and causes of abandonment of some of the earliest farms. There is a thorough archaeological and documentary survey of three areas in different parts of the country. Chronology, based on volcanic ash stratigraphy, is used to date a number of the sites studied. The effects of environmental changes, climatic deterioration, erosion, epidemics and economic factors in the shaping of the Iceland landscape are all taken into account, making this the first comprehensive treatment of Icelandic settlement patterns to be published in any language. ... Read more

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An introduction to the geography, history, government, people, and economy of Europe's farthest outpost. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide to Iceland gives information on hotels, hostels and camping, and covers sites and stories of Viking sagas. There is advice on swimming in hot springs, climbing volcanoes, and tackling the icefields of Europe's largest glacier. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Completely Useless
This book fails to disclose that Reykjavik is nothing more than a drinking town (24/7) in the Summer for 20 year olds from Europe.It provides no recommendation for those who want to stay "in town" yet stay away from all of the drunks.Everything in the book is described as expensive and pricey.Being from NY and having traveled the world, given the choice of a two hour bus ride from hell to get dropped off three blocks from my dump of a hotel or a pricey 45 minute cab ride, I'll opt for the cab any day.It's perfectely written for those who want to hike and see the country, and live out of their back pack, which is fine.For those who want to experience culture, explore the geologic uniqueness that Iceland has to offer and are not so cheap that they shouldn't be going on vacation anyway, this book is NOT for you.Why not write a travel guide that accurately describes the realities of travel?

Provides a Good Overview
It is always hard to read reviews for travel books.One person's treasure is another person's waste of money.

For the Rough Guide to Iceland 2, I found this to be a good book for casual traveling through the country.The book's 20 "must see and do things" was helpful and interesting.The maps were good, and from what I could tell, had a pretty thorough list of accommodations and going-ons.

While it did provide some information on the popular treks, I was a little disappointed in the amount of information on outdoor activities.I mean, c'mon, this is Iceland!

I would recommend this to someone going to Iceland.However, if you are going off the beaten track as I did, you will need to supplement this book with some internet research.

An Excellent Planning Resource
Having spent over three years in motion overseas, I have come to appreciate a guidebook that can blend the practical and cultural in a concise treatment.The Rough Guide to Iceland does this skillfully, and it is well-organized to boot.You'd use the Rough Guide to plan and layout your trip and then keep it by your side as your interpretive companion

While the Lonely Planet guide to Iceland contains more detail on logistics, it is not particularly user-friendly.That being said, I'll buy a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to supplement the Rough Guide.Lonely Planet Guides have seen me through more difficulties than I can count, and I'm sure the Iceland edition will get me out of a few jams while I circle the country.

But if I could use only one book, it would be the Rough Guide

Informative and well-designed
I'm coming slowly to the conclusion that the Rough Guides may simply be the best series out there. This particular Rough Guide is certainly the best guidebook to Iceland. It lovingly details every section of the country, and has pithy, relevant remarks on accomodations, places to eat, and things to see.

What I really love is the logical and thorough way in which it divides up any given area. Any time it introduces a new place, it gives you a comprehensive and sweeping overview, and then proceeds to lay out details district by district. You're left with a very clear picture of the area, and the comfort of knowing that additional details are available to you if you need to refer to them later. The maps are likewise extremely clear, providing plenty of detail while allowing you to get a sense of the overall lay of the terrain at a glance.

I've also found that a number of guidebooks for Iceland have a way of speaking negatively or dismissively of aspects of the country - especially Lonely Planet. This Rough Guide honestly mentions problems - hitchhiking is unreliable, cycling is hard, the bus is expensive, etc. - but it never gives you the impression that you might just be better off staying home. The book was written as if the author really loved Iceland, which was quite refreshing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Anthropology of Iceland
This book must be read by everyone interested in learning more about the nuances of Icelandic culture.The various authors do well in researching their subjects.Their love of Iceland shines through their scholarly research. This book is one of my favorite books on Iceland because it reminds me of what a great anthropological study Iceland is. ... Read more

Product Description
This study investigates the role played by the Christian church in the development of power structures in Iceland, from the conversion in AD 1000 to the end of the thirteenth century.It demonstrates that bythe time of the union with the Norwegian kingdom in 1262, fundamental constitutional changes had been brought about as a direct consequence of Christianization. ... Read more

Product Description
Scholars of Old Icelandic generally agree that Icelandic literature was influenced by the Gaelic world where oral literature was highly developed and written prose sagas were produced in the vernacular. Ireland and Iceland are the only countries in North Western Europe where sagas of this kind were written down. The problem arises, however, when the importance of that influence on Icelandic culture has to be assessed. In this book, the author looks at the possible channels by which Gaelic influence could have reached Iceland and looks at the nature of the numerous parallels in different genres of Old Icelandic literature with Gaelic literature, in particular Old Irish. The intention is twofold: first, to provide a comprehensive bibliography of the subject, and second, to assess what these parallels can tell us about the importance of Gaelic influence for Icelandic literary tradition. 2nd revised edition, with a new preface and a new general introduction. ... Read more

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The founding of the Old Icelandic Commonwealth in 930 A.D. is one of the most significant events in the history of early Western Europe.This pioneering work of historiography provides a comprehensive history of Iceland from 870 A.D. to the end of the Commonwealth in 1262. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Too many errors make this book a bad choice
My son borrowed this book at his school's library when he wrote a report about Iceland. I was dismayed to find numerous factual errors throughout the book including: Incorrect translations of Icelandic terms, incorrect gender names of characters, incorrect descriptions of food and incorrect descriptions of Christmas traditions and many more.
In fact the errors were so many that this book should be considered useless. It reads like something a mediocre high school student would put together the night before an essay deadline.
-Icelandic Expatriate

makes iceland sound interestering
this book is in the best information book series about different countries,enchantment of the world second series.the book about iceland is one of the best, and just by opening the book for the first time it makes you interested in iceland aswell as making you want to go there.the best part is the first chapter where the author tells about an adolescent boy named thorri going through conformation to become part of the lutheran church.the good thing about the first chapter a typical icelandic teenager,his family and their customs and gives you a good picture of iceland.it also has good information about icelands dramatic landscape with it's glaciers and mountains(a lot of them are volcanos),and it's early history which you can find in the icelandic sagas,but i like that it shows how far iceland has come since then and how it's become.i also introduced me to njal's sagaand other sagas and i love that they mentioned bjork(how couldn't they).it realy made want to go iceland especialy reykjavik and learn more about iceland from other sources. ,jeremy david biggs "world traveler someday" ... Read more

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The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
Rich in titles on English life and social history, this collection spans the world as it was known to eighteenth-century historians and explorers. Titles include a wealth of travel accounts and diaries, histories of nations from throughout the world, and maps and charts of a world that was still being discovered. Students of the War of American Independence will find fascinating accounts from the British side of conflict.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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Bodleian Library (Oxford)

N018971



London : printed for J. Robson, and W. Richardson, 1783. xxiv,400p.,plates : map ; 8° ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the geography, history, people, and customs of Iceland. ... Read more