
How Iceland Changed the World
The Big History of a Small Island
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Narrated by:
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Einar Gunn
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By:
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Egill Bjarnason
"[A] joyously peculiar book." (The New York Times)
"Bjarnason’s intriguing book might be about a cold place, but it’s tailor-made to be read on the beach." (New Statesman)
The untold story of how one tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic has shaped the world for centuries.
The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. How Iceland Changed the World takes readers on a tour of history, showing them how Iceland played a pivotal role in events as diverse as the French Revolution, the Moon Landing, and the foundation of Israel. Again and again, one humble nation has found itself at the frontline of historic events, shaping the world as we know it, How Iceland Changed the World paints a lively picture of just how it all happened.
©2021 Egill Bjarnason (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"A chronicle of those thousand-plus years is breezily and likably unfolded in Egill Bjarnason’s How Iceland Changed the World.” (Wall Street Journal)
“How Iceland Changed the World is not only surprising and informative. It is amusing and evocatively animates a place that I have been fascinated with for most of my life. Well worth the read!” (Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author)
“Egill Bjarnason has written a delightful reminder that, when it comes to countries, size doesn’t always matter. His writing is a pleasure to read, reminiscent of Bill Bryson or Louis Theroux. He has made sure we will never take Iceland for granted again.” (A.J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of Thanks a Thousand and The Year of Living Biblically)
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Iceland is pretty cool
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Good overview of Iceland history, politics, and mindset
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an inside view of Iceland
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Love Iceland. Read this book
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A good introduction to Iceland.
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Informative and entertaining
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If you study Early Modern European history, you have doubtless read about the Little Ice Age (an important cooling of global temperatures). I did not realize it resulted from volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Need a base to hold off Nazis in World War II? It turns out that Iceland was incredibly well positioned for such activity.
But more than that, Bjarnson helps the reader to get to know a rather unique people, how they won their independence, and their role in the modern world. It's a very interesting book.
A Fascinating Place
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History with humor.
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Fun and engaging
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Very informative and a fun read
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