A History of the Swedish People: Volume 1: From Prehistory to the Renaissance (Volume 1)

I purchased this book hoping for a brief, overall general history of the nation of Sweden as I like to occasionally venture outside my primary areas of interest but instead was presented with a series of brief essays consisting of generalizations and a lacking of details. The author begins by explaining this is not going to be a typical history book as rulers, major events, dates, etc., are going to be glossed over or outright ignored in place of a story of the common folk/peasants and people of Sweden. I initially cringed when I read this but after I got into the thick of it and started reading the first essay I was able to connect with the author's prose and style of writing. There are no footnotes or bibliography but the story the author tells is remarkable enough and entertaining to read once I accepted the generalizations and occasional boisterous opinions. I give it three stars only because I wished there was more history and specifics. The dates, names of rulers, etc., and the why, where, when and what of the history of Sweden were lacking. However, the sparingly given rations of dates and specifics were enough to hold my interest and appetite throughout and I am interested to begin reading the second volume as the information provided here was enough to give me a general idea of Sweden's history. All in all, this is a decent book to add to your collection as it was entertaining and the author's writing style is unique, fluid and engaging. However, for a more traditional, structured and detailed account of the History of Sweden I will be looking elsewhere.

There is a great deal of important information in this book, and volume 2. The author honestly warns the reader that the books are written from a socio-anthropological viewpoint. Though the history is interesting, much of the commentary appears to be interpretive. I know the author is well qualified to interpret, but tends to be boring. These books are definately worth the read, because they are a different view of Swedish history. They will not, however, be my resourse for future reference.

Hope it’s good, got it as a present 🎁

Loved it

Moberg's writing is lively and entertaining (even in translation...), and he skips the battles and political situations except for their effect on the peasantry. He tells the story of the forgotten "little people" who were the principal residents of the land.

Extremely interesting. Have since read three other Moberg books on Swedish emigrants.

This is a history book written about a very challenging period due to lack of research materials. As such, it is the most pleasantly written style I have ever read. I actually prefer well-researched historical novels for ease of reading, however this was about as close as you can get for enjoyable education. I have now ordered and look forward to reading the second volume.

I love history from Vilhelm Moberg. He focuses on the common people, not just the kings and queens. Plus, he's a little cheeky when he talks about the kings. I love it!

A good interesting read.