Author Series | Martyn Whittock | American Vikings

Vikings are an enduring subject of fascination. The combination of adventure, mythology, violence, and exploration continues to grip our attention. Historian Martyn Whittock, discusses our endless captivation with Vikings as detailed in his latest book American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America.
In a book Kirkus Reviews calls, “A lucid survey of Viking lore, archaeological finds, and modern interpretations,” American Vikings explores the geographical reach of the Norse where for centuries medieval sagas, first recorded in Iceland, claimed that Vikings reached North America around the year 1000. The book explores that claim, separating fact from fiction and myth from mischief, to assess the enduring legacy of this claim in America. The search for “American Vikings” connects a vast range of different areas; from the latest archaeological evidence for their actual settlement in North America to the myth-making of nineteenth-century Scandinavian pioneers in the Midwest; and from ancient adventurers to the political ideologies in the twenty-first century. A vivid new history by a master of the form, American Vikings explores how the Norse first sailed into the lands, and then into the imaginations, of America.
Martyn Whittock has written numerous educational and history books, including titles on Viking and Anglo-Saxon history. He has been a consultant for the BBC, English Heritage, and the National Trust in the UK, and has written for Medieval History magazine and other historical journals. In addition, as a commentator and columnist, he writes for several print and online news platforms, and has been interviewed on TV and radio news programs exploring the impact of history on current events in the USA, the UK, and globally.