viking ships at sunrise
343693
the best book will be the magic tree house!!!!!!!!!!!!!  the crowd goes wild! the magic tree house #15 viking ships at sunrise lets the magic tree house take jack and annie to the time of the vikings. this book lets you learn about vikings and viking ships too. if i tell you a secret can you keep it? im getting a dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  can you even dream it? having your own dog?  wow!!!!!!!!!!  so read the magic tree house #15 today!!
3642767
Although the 54 pictures are pretty and the 8 full page diagrams are well done, be forewarned that this pamphlet has 45 pages (7" x 11") with very short descriptions of the ships and their use.  The bibliography is 2 pages and the index is one page .  What there is, is well written but do not expect to learn any more this navy and its ships than just the basics.  I will say, though, it did make me interested in learning more about these ships and this navy that, after all, was a major presence in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years.  It is worth the price I paid for itbut I was expecting much more.
1952595
Enjoyable book with a nice flair of the Norse gods.  The author does a good job mixing in the history of the Vikings along with their legends.  Big focus on Odin interacting with some of the Norse hero's.  Have read the second book as well, waiting for the third.
824098
This is an alternate story about the landing of Vikings in North America.  Kind of what you would expect to read about Plymouth Rock.  there is some internal strife and hardship that starts out for the small group of Norse settlers that survive the horrible weather to get to Markland.

The story is a bit simplistic, really for a younger audience the way I see it written but still a nicely told story.  Hopefully the next book speeds up the timeline a bit so we see how the good old USA develops as Norsemen get there first.  What might happen at Plymouth Rock.  Do the Pilgrims meet Indians or Norsemen?

Looking forward to finding out.
4451760
Most of us are familiar with the so-called "Viking Age". Though there has been a growing awareness that the term is a technically misleading one (meant to refer to a period of rapid expansion across Europe by Norse Germanic peoples, hardly limited to piracy) it's use over time has become established, and serves its purpose to denote a specific period of time in specific part of the world. This "Viking age" in Europe is generally recognized as having begun in 793 with the sacking of Lindsfarne and having ended in 1066 with the fall of Harald Hardrata in the battle of Stamford Bridge.

A great many books have been written about the people and events of this period, most books touting "Vikings" as the subject being generally quite uniform in their adherence to this time frame. A Brief History of the Vikings, on the other hand, is not.

Clements sets out to chronicle the people and events of the "Viking Age" but he does so by a thorough examination of the forces that shaped that period and the legacy it left in its wake. For him, the study of "The Viking Age" begins much earlier. The first pages give a cursory overview of the movements of northern tribes into in Gaul and Germania, and speaks also of the sea-faring tribes that plagued the Roman military (and conversely often composed the bulk of their Navy) on the coasts of Gaul, the Black Sea, and along the Rhine, prefacing the main body of the book with precedents of Germanic expansion. The Story of the "Viking Age" proper does begin in Britain, but not at Lindsfarn in 793- instead it began almost four centuries earlier, as Rome recalled its legions and left Britannia to the wolves.

Clements proceeds to analyze the movement of Norse-Germanic people from Scandanvia, and the conflicts of their migration - but unlike many other books on the subject he takes great pains to put them in a greater context. Much of the book examines the socio-religious, cultural, and political forces of the time as well as climate change and other environmental factors. One may come away from this book having benefited from a longer view of the elements that shaped the situations and influenced the outcomes of this tumultuous and fascinating period of European history.

Bonus materials include a number of nice black and white photos and some fairly lengthy appendices, where the reader will find King lists, maps, a seven page list of titles for recommended "further reading", fourteen pages of source material arranged by chapter, and a handy index.

Overall it's a solid book packed with good information and written in an engaging style, and it lays a good foundation for further study of the subject.
4310405
Published in early 1980, the NASA produced book (NASA Special Publication NASA SP-441) contains numerous photographs obtained by the two Viking space probes which had been in orbit around Mars since mid 1976 are presented.  The pictures represent only a small fraction of the many thousands taken; however, the resolution of these photographs was approximately ten times better than the previous Martian orbiter, Mariner 9 and gave a hint of the discoveries that would come with the Martian probes of the late 1990's and early 2000's.  The photographs that were chosen illustrate the diverse geology of Mars and its atmospheric phenomena.  Specific topics discussed include the Viking mission and its objectives, a brief comparison of Earth and Mars, and surface features of Mars including the great equatorial canyons, channels, volcanic and deformational features, and craters. Martian moons, surface processes, polar regions, and the Martian atmosphere are also covered.

Even though this book has been out print for nearly 25 years, it is readily available from many used book dealers for around $25 and well worth the price.
1760259
A somewhat different slant on the Viking conflicts in Ireland.
2324211
It isn't all that often that excellent research,  great writing, and wonderful illustrations go hand in hand.  However A Shipyard in Maine manages to get all those into one book.
I would suggest this book for anyone one with an interest in ships, sailing, Midcoast Maine, or the city of Bath, ME.  Also it looks very imposing of coffe tables ;-)
3437456
Kat Falcons was ordered to go to a sector of space that had not been touched by the war. Her XO was promoted to Captain of an unlucky ship the "sister of Lightening." Together the were to patrolling this growing area and protect the younger settlements from pirates and the Theocracy.

This provided lots of activity for both ships while together (escorting 70 commercial ships) or ferreting out pirate bases. Thus, there was plenty of action for both ships and captains.

The action will keep the reader alert. Further, the new captain of Uncanny was quite busy and led most of the crew to enjoy serving under him. Both crews were delighted to receive monetary rewards for the ships and goods they captured.

Perhaps the next assignments for these two captains will be back at the war front.
4384702
This book is an excellent introduction to the stave churches of Norway. It explains the construction methods used in building the churches, provides a basic introductory history, then gives detailed information about all the remaining Norwegian stave churches. The detailed information includes where the church is located, when it was built, and the changes it has undergone over its long history. Many beautiful photographs of the churches and artefacts within the churches are included.
1265514
I recall chartering in the British Virgin Islands over 20 years ago and being handed a spiral-bound book that showed all the anchorages viewed from a couple hundred feet above the water, looking in.  Wouldn't it be great if there were something like that for the far-trickier Maine coast?  Well, now there is, and it's extremely well done.

Most two-page spreads in the book comprise an excellent harbor photo, the related section from the current NOAA chart, and a description of the harbor area.  Superimposed on the chart is an arrow indicating the location from and direction in which the photo was shot.  Some charts also include additional arrows that are overlayed on the photo as well so that you can see, for example, how the safest route for entry as seen on the chart actually looks on the water.  That is really nice.

By my rough count, there are 110 harbors covered, from Isles of Shoals (OK, they're not quite in Maine) to Buck's Harbor on the west shore of Machias Bay. Unfortunately, anchorages around Eastport have been omitted.  Maybe Mr. Bildner can get to them in a future edition.

Everyone cruising the Maine coast will want to have this supurb visual guide aboard to supplement the three standard guides.  I only hope that the availability of this fine work won't bring TOO many folks and boats "from away" up to crowd our beautiful coast.
1851224
The producers inserted snips from Kari's song in the beginning of their fabulous "A Norway Passage: the Most Beautiful Voyage." Imagine riding a big ferry boat along the coast of Norway through Viking country! Check out
[...]
I don't speak a word of Norse but love her singing - and the video.
1715612
A fantastic audio book from Naxos that teaches children how Vikings stormed out of their Scandanavian homelands to raid & loot among the European coasts between the 8th and 11th centuries.  Filled with intriguing, exciting and suspenseful stories of Vikings and their plunders this 2 disc set captures the attention of not only children but adults as well.  From well known Vikings such as Eric the Leif to lesser known Vikings, this audio book gives you a rich, historical basis for Vikings and their way of life.  Great for homeschooling and educational purposes.
2285892
It gives great facts backed up by nice illustrations.  This poster will help students understand Viking life and culture much better.
561623
This is a great continuation of the Viking Age in Ireland. The characters, the vivid descriptions of the lands and surrounding waters will put you in the midst of the story.
315770
I have always been a big fan of the Osprey series books, and a fan of Angus MacBride's work.
This book is a good overview of the evolving nature of Viking warfare, from the first raids on the British isles, to the end of the Viking period.
Included is a useful collection of photos of Viking weapons, armour annd other artifacts.  But for me, the star of the show was the colour plates, what amazing work!  MacBride gives us a diversity of glimpses, such as Viking home-life, building a long ship, the aftermath of a raid, and a great sea-battle, and the end of the Norse adventure in North America.
This is a great book for anyone interested in the Viking period!
1073104
I was sent this book by mistake as I had ordered Vol. 2. The seller graciously told me to keep this volume & I am enjoying it while waiting for the correct book to come. More than just a rehash of U-boat data, this volume is about the town, harbor, & people of Lorient from before the German takeover until June of 1941. There are monthly logs of the boats coming & going. There are lots of period pictures of the boats, their crews, the port facilities, the town & townsfolk, including some then & now shots as well as a color section of Lorient today along with a few nicely done maps, memorabilia, & some of the boat insignia. All this on heavy semi gloss paper with good photo reproduction. A nice series of books so far, the only negative is that the books are about 1/2" taller (for no real reason) than most of my "big" books & won't fit on the same shelves.