Iceland: Land of the Sagas

This was a gift for someone going to Iceland.I think it is a beautiful introduction to the country.

While it is a challenge to summarize any one nation in a book, the author and photographer here do a good job. Iceland is one of the most advanced countries in the world. In this book the detailed history, geography, sagas, industries, and natural features are revealed. One can tell the author has a real love for Iceland.What I gather from this book is the variety and contrasts of Iceland. Pagan and Viking history, but also one of the oldest commonwealth and parliaments; very reliant on outdoor labor and respectful of manly virtues, but also one of the first to provide women with the vote; appreciative of nature and scenic vistas, but also a nation that intensely uses energy and natural resources; a sub-Arctic country that would seem inhospitable, yet also a land with numerous dairy farms, sheep ranches, and some of the best ocean catches.This book was written in 1990 just after Reykjavik attained fame in Cold War arms negotiations, and a good amount of change has occurred since then, most notably the real estate and financial crisis of 2008-2010. Iceland has a made a good recovery and is attracting a lot of attention. Tourism is a big part of the economy. The country is accessible by Icelandair and several other major airlines with connections to most European cities. As an optimist, I look forward to continued strong US-Iceland relations, good relations with the UK and the EU, as well as the continuation of their unique Icelandic culture, their safe communities, and their intriguing language.

Started reading this for background for my next book and to learn more about Iceland before our 3 week Ring Road drive in Sept. 2021. Krakauer's photos are second to none, and the narration and tales by Roberts bring this country to life even for those not destined to visit. I highly recommend this for any travelers, even arm-chair travelers!!

This book added a dimension to our trip to Iceland that was very pleasurable. It shows how the Icelandic people carry the folklore of their country very proudly. Living Icelanders can connect real places on the island with the folkloric/historic Sagas, and they have been doing this since the Sagas were first transmitted. The stories and photos in the book really give a taste of how Icelanders love their land and heritage. It is written for pleasure reading, flipping between a tour guide, anecdotes and Sagas, very nicely. And not only do the photos show the real sites of the Sagas, they are also art in themselves.This book's coupling of storytelling and photography gives a sense of Icelandic history and values. Iceland is a very unique and special place. It's uniqueness is not entirely evident until we change the cultural lens through which we view a place we visit. This book successfully does just that.

I am glad I got this book just for the text, which is excellent. But I'm surprised at rave reviews for the photos, which to me are absurd. They hardly explore Iceland's unique topography and instead turn it into a generic rugged Anywhere. Notice that in almost every photo there's some sign of habitation: a building, an animal,a person in a boat, etc. The thing that distinguishes Iceland is that there's NO ONE there. You can drive for hours, as I have along the coast on a road that's simply a leveling of the gravel, without seeing another car, building or even a road sign. It's creepy and exhilerating. It's the ideal place to be alone. The landscape is so unusual it reminds you of nothing familiar, nothing from your past. And except for rocky outcroppings, it's flat in a way that makes you feel you could be on the moon. I love Iceland, am obsessed with it, and go there as often as possible. For me it is a source of existential peace. For a true picture of the landscape, listen to the music of Sigur Ros, and investigate the photographs of artist Olafur Eliasson. Or go and take your own pictures. They'll be better than these.

First, the good. This book, both text and photo, help the sagas come to life, as well as bring them to a new relevance regarding Iceland today. It's a valuable book in this regard, but little more can be said because the pictures and text have to be experienced to have this effect.On to the bad. While less than 1% of the land is inhabited, and while Iceland as a whole has a population of the same as a smallish city in the US, nearly every picture seems to be a picture of that 1% of inhabited and cultivated land. Moreover the text does not represent current thinking regarding the Sagas and is a bit dated (sagas are treated as purely historical).On the whole, this is a book worth owning if you like sagas and have never been to Iceland. Otherwise, I am not sure I'd recommend it.

I purchased this book at the same time I purchased "Iceland," by Jonnson. Two entirely different approaches to a fascinating land I had never taken the time to try to understand or appreciate. I must confess I purchased this book strictly for the photos, and I would do it again. Someone else will have to comment on the sagas, but I understand they are a very important, and beloved, part of Iceland's tradition. Jonnson's photos are of the physical land itself--no signs of man--and it is a stunning book, especially as you begin to understand the nature of the land. Krakauer, on the other hand, appreciates how man has settled into this land, and his photographs are equally stunning. A small farm, set against the base of a quiet volcano, beautiful and artistic sections of Reykjavik, trees, flowers---sort of like the great western landscapes of the US in their scope, but uniquely Icelandic. If you asked a tour guide to take you to the most beautiful and interesting places in Iceland, this would be your tour.

I thought this would be a much smaller book and more along the lines of Jon Krakauer's other books - my mistake for not realising he was only the photographer and not the author. I haven't read it fully yet, but the print quality leaves a lot to be desired and the text is not all that compelling.

Bought as a Christmas gift for my son of a memorable trip to this fabulous island.

I've ordered and read most of Krakauer's books. This being the last of them. It is not written in his normal fashion (in fact he is not the writer, instead the photographer). The book has pretty great photographs. But there is a disjointed feel to the narrative, and it dwells intensively on the saga's of Iceland's past,to the point of minutae and boredom, and does not really talk much about Iceland itself. // This book may appeal to some. But it is not in the mold of Krakauer and has not appealed to me. // . Side note: there is an egregrious error on the very flyleaf which speaks of 12 millenia of Icelandic history, rather than 12 centuries, a rather dumb mistake to make on the very flyleaf / intro.

A useful book to have before visiting IcelandIt provides historical information together with legendary sagas of its pastIn addition atmospheric photographs are enticing for the would be visitor

If you read and appreciated the Icelandic Sagas, this should be a great book for you!The pictures are very impressing, the text is solid and the impression is great.