Sweden Books

I was checking out, and sure enough saw them there! These cards are pretty cool, great design and idea.

They were a bit more than I expected. Need a sense of humor with these. The group of 18yr olds traveling in europe thought they were very funny.

This is the sequel to "The Adventures of Nils". It comes close to living up to the first book, but is somewhat more haphazardly organised. Nils continues travelling with the wild geese, sees points of interest in Sweden, meets the author of the book, and must solve a moral dilema.
This is a good book for reading to children of a wide range of ages. My children are 10 and 7 and were both captivated by it, but I could easily see younger children enjoying it as well.

The sequel to the Wonderful Adventures of Nils, this novel continues Nils journey through Sweden after a brief interlude concerning Greyskin the Elk. It is a continuation and completion of the first novel more than a sequel, so a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the first. This book has slightly more serious consequences than the first part, but is still suitable for young children. Readers will witness the quest of Osa the goosegirl and Little Mats to find there father, which has a bittersweet ending, as well as the final resolution of Tummetot's goal to become human again. This is a wonderful book to read aloud, breaking up nicely into chapters, and telling many different short stories. It is a story superbly told, blending geography, history, and folk lore, as well as making children aware of the responsibilities humans have towards their animal neighbors. A classic worth owning!

In every country, you've got the official history, full of glorious deeds and virtuous causes, peopled by heroes and Big Men, once in a while an Astonishing Woman. Most nations base their national image on such a history. Back before World War II, that sort of history was standard, taught in all the schools to generations of bored kids. The by-product usually turned out to be rampant chauvinism. Since then, at least in the USA and Australia, school history has been toned down somewhat. Still, though, we can find an extreme reluctance to call things by their proper names. I'm totally unfamiliar with the history books of other countries, but most academic histories are either scholarly tomes which deal with details, or sweeping panoramas describing complicated processes over centuries. I happen to like both types. But it is rare to find a book like Moberg's A HISTORY OF THE SWEDISH PEOPLE, written by a man who perhaps was better known for his novels.

Moberg does not start from prehistory and move patiently, step by step, up through the centuries. We find extremely few dates and only some names---which is just as well, considering the paucity of monickers that seems to have existed in medieval Sweden, where every second royal bore the name of Valdemar, Erik or Magnus. Instead, the author takes a handful of topics and bases his chapters on these. Each topic pricks a certain balloon, perhaps those most often flown in the old, official versions of Swedish history. "The Swedes As a Proud, Free Race". Moberg's first chapter shows that for centuries, more than half the population were bonded laborers, often little better than slaves. "100 Kings". Moberg shows that this ancient tally of royal Swedes is little more than a persistent myth. There is no proof that most existed at all. "A Family of Royal Criminals". Here he goes to town, with considerable humor, on the Folkung dynasty, whom he likens to gangsters and fictional characters in novels about "bad guys". In other chapters, Moberg tries to create a history of the common people of prehistoric and medieval Sweden---the ancient farmers, the Viking seafarers, and the medieval population. He dwells long on the Black Death of the 14th century, which he calls the biggest event of the Middle Ages in Sweden. It killed a third of the population. And not leaving out the female half of the population, he devotes considerable space to Sweden's most famous saint, St. Bridget and Queen Margareta, who presided over the short-lived union of Kalmar, which covered Norway, Denmark, and Sweden back in the period 1397-1457, as well as constantly noting the effect various trends and practices would have had on women. Though a book of this kind necessarily leaves out as much as it puts in, I can recommend A HISTORY OF THE SWEDISH PEOPLE for its readability (though the translation is a bit weak at times), its humor and directness, its socialist idealism, and its interesting slant on the Swedish picture. In criticism I might say that he sometimes indulges his fancy for including information on whatever caught his attention. Lateral thinking is fine, but a little discipline....? The final word: every country should have its Moberg. Down with balloons !!

Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973) was one of Sweden's leading men of letters, chiefly remembered today for his peerless emigrant tetralogy. His Min Svenska Historia was his life's work, and only completed after his death. Published in Swedish in two volumes, this book is the English translation of the first book, taking the history of Sweden from prehistory, through to the Kalmar Union and the death of Queen Margareta.

Unlike most history books of the era, though, this one is written with a definite slant. Moberg became disillusioned with the heroic history that he had been taught in his school days, finding that the great men and women of Swedish history actually had feet of clay that made their enshrining ludicrous. Embracing socialism in everything, he sought to write a book that reached past the kings and bigwigs of history, and told the story of the peasants that made the country everything that it was.

The book is quite iconoclastic, poking fun at many people who figure large in other history books - kings, magnates, and Viking warriors. In many ways it is a book ahead of its time, refusing to genuflect before anyone, and making for some humorous and fascinating reading. My one complaint against this book is that this first book contains no index, which limits its usefulness for everyday use (though I presume that there may be an index in the second volume).

So, if you are interested in reading a history of Sweden that is not like any other, or if you are interested in reading the thoughts of the great Vilhelm Moberg, then I highly recommend this book to you.

This book really hits home the powerful decision by some bloke to enter the thirty year war. It examines in infinite details the decision that this man may have taken when deciding to commit himself to the war. It is really great to consider that there are still people out there who not only find the time to write such interesting books but also believe others may want to read them. I must thank Erik Ringmar for writing the perfect book on how to solve insomnia, with out this book I feel sleep may be a problem, but not now I own a copy.

The sarcastic review of this book posted by "a reader" in 1999 is unfair. It is a well-written integration of theory and historical case study, the basic argument being that identity precedes interest (a state must know what it is before knowing what it wants). The illustrative case study shows that Sweden entered the 30 Years War for identity-centered rather than interest-centered reasons. Readers who wish to can skip some of the detailed historical analysis without losing the book's insights. The basic theoretical argument is now familiar in the literature, but this book does add more than a couple of fresh angles to it.

My seven year old daughter loves this and just did a book report on it. An interesting, somewhat complex storyline with magnificant illustrations throughout. There are definitely religious themes herein, all within the historical context of medieval Sweden. Higly recomended.

This is a Swedish legend that explains the origin of the flower known as the Christmas Rose. Lagerlöf was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature in 1909. This legend, retold by Ellin Greene, originally appeared in a magazine in 1907. The illustrations are beautiful. They capture the emotions of the characters splendidly. The story is not too long for advanced second graders to read in a single sit-ting. Younger children will be able to listen to it. Several times however the layout alternates from a two-page spread of text to a two-page illustration. The text pages can appear overwhelming for young readers, and because there is not an illustration on every page, it can be cumbersome to use in a read-aloud. The story does, of course, have a mention of the Christ Child and central characters include a Bishop, Abbot and lay priest. There is no attempt to influence the reader on behalf of the Christian faith however. Still, it may create some difficulties in a public school classroom. A well-written and illustrated legend, it is a shame the design features make it less appealing and it may create some trouble in a public school classroom.

Why 4 stars?:
This is a nice story, but has some logistical design flaws. The illustrations are well suited and many children will most likely enjoy it. However, the subject material may not always be accepted in a public school classroom.

Graeme Cornwallis almost immediately makes a misstep with his best and worst lists. The Top 10 is fine, but the Bottom 10? You can tell he was put up to this by the publisher. Arvika is shabby? I didn't find it that way at all! A lovely town with beautiful locations and a great arts and crafts store. Forests extremely tedious? Sorry. Ticket machines? I guess if you like ganging up on an overworked clerk, it's more fun not to have a ticket, but otherwise, it's very civilized. If these are the worst that he can find about Sweden, it must be a wonderful place! And that's how I found it. To be fair, Cornwallis is trying to fit a lot of information in a small book. He did miss an item or two (how could he not discuss allmansrãtt, which basically says you can hike or camp anywhere that you're not being obnoxious?) but he certainly covers a lot of what is available. It would take more than one vacation to cover all the attractions he outlines just for Gothenburg. And his directions to eating places in Gothenburg are right on the mark.

This comprehensive guide assures the best plans for your visit to Sweden. It is jampacked with essential information to get you there and away to wonderful destinations and events for every interest and attraction.

Like an encyclopedia, it leaves nothing to chance for planning each leg of your trip. It has two outstanding sections that sets this travel guide apart from others.

First, is it's Facts For The Visitor. It highlights the Best And Worst of what to hit or miss on your visit, which includes incidentals like free car-ferries, but expensive beer, bread, and parking fees. This section also includes the essentials for planning prior to your visit. It is a must for acquainting yourself with the cultural differences and practicals of visiting abroad.

Second best, but not least, section is the Getting There And Away. This is the best guide I have seen that gives all the transportation alternatives available to get you where you want to be, with schedules and pricing. Though this section does not boast of winning any photo contest, it has more cities per area to give the best overall opportunity to visit the real country, not just the tourist traps. Also included are internet connections to give even greater details, which brings the reference material to life.

Overall, I believe this guide is the bible for experiencing Sweden in the first year of the new millennium.

Ake Edwardson in similar fashion to other Swedish crime novelists like the more famous Henning Mankell, chronicles a methodical homicide inquest while focusing in on both the psychological aspects of the suspects, victims and their police pursuers.

In a sweltering summer heat wave in the coastal town of Gothenburg, a corpse of a young woman is found in a hollowed out area within a thicket of trees in a local park. Pathology reports have determined that she had been sexually violated and strangled. Chief Inspector Erik Winter, in charge of the investigation, is stunned as the crime is eerily similar to an unsolved rape and murder committed 5 years ago in the exact same location.

Winter mobilizes his team to pore over the evidence but soon there is another young victim who was raped but survived. Her fragile psychological state provides few clues for Winter. Winter becomes obsessed with solving both the cold case of five years ago and the current crime wave. He is not without his misgivings as being a new father he's torn between sharing his time with his family and on the job.

Edwardson's nicely paced novel chronicles the arduous, dispiriting measures that the police go through while dealing with their own personal conflicts. He rightly devotes a more than adequate effort in character developement which adds reality to his plot

This is a beautifully written, compelling book. I had a hard time putting it down. Ake Edwardson is an exciting, skillful writer.

The photos in this book are glorious, and the story of the Bohus collective is inspiring. The book provides reconstructed patterns for Bohus-style garments at the back, and it is as far as I know one of the only places to find such patterns. These reconstructions are not technically authentic Bohus garments -- their gauge is a bit bigger and they use different yarn. So if you are a stickler for authenticity, buy a Bohus sweater kit online. If you are interested in learning more about the history of this kind of knitting and you want to knit a gorgeous Bohus-inspired garment, this book is for you.

The Bohus Workshop in Sweden was started about 50 years ago and brought together creative designers and hand knitters to make some of the most stunning knitted creations ever. The wool was carefully chosen, the designs modern and timeless, with that ineffable Scandanavian flair. Sadly the Bohus workshop has long been closed. All that remains are some treasured vintage sweaters and...this book to document their history. And not only does this book document the history of Bohus Workshop, it also has patterns so you can make some of the famous designs yourself.

This isn't knitting for the timid; many of the designs boldly go where color knitting isn't supposed to go; there are patterns with 3, 4 even more colors per row. The colors are subtle and varied, knitted in an angora/wool mix to create the "shimmering" effect the Bohus designs were famous for. But if you embark on such a knitting adventure you will surely make a masterpiece you will wear or give with great pride.

A source for the kind of yarn that closely matches the Bohus mix is provided in the book, plus patterns for the famous fairisle-like yoke pattern models. Also included are jackets with matching designs to the yoke pullovers, mittens, and hats. You can certainly adapt the design to your own creations. Not all the designs require many colors per row; some are two color only throughout and some rely more on texture than color.

This book is worth reading for textile history, for history of women in clothing design, and for knitting history. And it's also a valuable knitting reference for people who like to knit their own designs as well as reproduce them from patterns. All in all, this book has a lot and is one of my great favorites.

While this book offers a huge amount of information on each of the countries it covers, it leaves something to be desired: an organized, consistent format. While all of the information I wanted was in the book, I really had to dig around for it- I found the the sections on each country were very dissimilar, so if I found a statistic or fact on one country, I could not simply flip to the same section of another country, I had to read the whole chapter about that country.
All in all, a worthwhile read, but I would suggest taking detailed notes so you remember where each fact came from- an index would have been tremendously helpful here.

This hefty book is a gold mine of information on politics in Europe. The book has a section each for the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia and the European Union, and each section has five chapters: The Context of (political entity) Politics, Where is the Power?, Who Has the Power? How is Power Used?, and What is the Future of (political entity) Politics? Plus, each section then finishes up with a list of resources for further reading.

Now, first of all it must be said that this book is a widely used textbook. But, don't let that scare you; it is a very fascinating book. Though not covering every nation in Europe, it does give an excellent overview of the major players. I found the book to be highly informative, giving me a good understanding to how the political framework of each country works, what its limitations are and what its strengths are. And, having been rewritten in 2003, it is very up-to-date, which is a great plus.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent resource. If you are interested in really understanding how politics works in Europe, then you must get this book! I highly recommend it.

This is a great book to learn all of the basic facts regarding the Battle of Poltava, and the results of the state of Europe afterward.

I say it's great for the basic facts, because it packs in what exactly happened leading to the battle to the end result including strategies and tactics, but it doesn't bring you in the mind of the soldier. To restate, you will read about all of the objective facts of the battle, and the maps help the reader visualize how the battle took place.

To learn about the Battle of Poltava on a more personal level, I recommend reading "The Battle That Shook Europe: Poltava and the Birth of the Russian Empire," by Peter Englund. You'll see the war from the Swedish perspective there.

Poltava 1709

Few Americans have benefited from a formal education that included studies of the Great Northern War and the campaigns of Charles XII of Sweden. We seem to have to remind ourselves that, at one time, Sweden was a power to be reckoned with in European affairs. This interesting and well written book gives a quick review of the events leading up to the battle of Poltava, which marked the end of Sweden's dominance in northern Europe - and the start of Russian influence in the history of Europe.

The author discusses the events leading up to the ill-fated attempt to again `put Russia in her place'. He gives a very good description of the armies involved, as well as the contrasting tactics employed by each. branch. His description of the lives and careers of the two protagonists, Charles XII and Tsar Peter, add to the overall quality of the book. The maps are clear and enlightening, as is usually the case in other books of this series.

I strongly recommend this book to others who are interested in the subject. I feel that it reads as easily as a good novel and that it tends to inspire one to seek out further books on the subject.