New Britain herald., 1915-10-28
Book Review
Book Review.

 Knut Gjerset, Ph. D. (Heidel-
 berg). With maps and illustra- tions. The MacMillan company, New York. Price $500 a set.
 Once in a life time some historian in tracing the activities of those who have gone before will so illuminate his subject as to make it pleasant reading not only for the student but for the casual delver in books. This indeed is rarety,-a find, if you will. But it has been done and this time by Knut Gjerset. professor of the Nor wegian language, literature and his- tory in Luther College, Iowa, whose History of the Norwegian People, pub- lished in two large octave volumes, has all the fascination of the novel. Tracing the history of the Norwegian people from as far back as two thou sand years before Christ to the present time, Professor Gjerset has brought to light some of the most interesting sidelights on the character and man. ner of living of the Norwegian people ever set in English type. Tn fact, this work is one of the first complete his- tories of this interesting people yet presented to readers of English
 In the very outset of his work Pro-
 
 the reader by the wonderful manner in which he describes the kingdom of Norway. After telling of the present day resources of the country he then delves away back into the Stone age and describes the people who held forth on the Scandinavian peninsular, tracing their activities through the Bronze age and the Iron age. In this way one gets good idea of the wonderful growth of the Norwegian people, in social, industrial, and other lines of endeavor. Indeed, the Scan danavia of prehistoric times, accord ing to this work, was a beehive of in- dustry; for the people were ever up and doing. The influence of Roman | culture is traced upon them as evi- | denced by Roman coins found as far | back as the days before the Vikings | got their start. Some interesting &C., | counts of the burial methods in vogue at stated intervals in the history of the Norwegians, and the ship build
 ing propensities of the people serve
 as clues to their present day station
 in life. The Norwegians descend
 from sturdy stock. It was their great
 help which enabled the German war
 riors to overthrow Rome in 400 A. ID.
 They were the folk who first ventured
 forth on the high seas. And Pro-
 lessor Gjerset clears away many mis- | conceptions of the seafaring Morse
 men, the Vikings. Instead of the pop
 ular fancy of their having been pirates
 on the high seas, the author of this | work shows them in the role of fath-
 CTS of navigation,-pioneers of over
 sea commerce. True, they did com
 init many depredations, yet it was due 1 to the bravery of the Vikings that 1 many great cities. which have sur | vived to the present day, were set up. | It was Torgils, the great sea king, leader of the Vikings. who. in S36. | founded the city of Dublin, in Ire- | land. Limerick also came into being at the hands of these people. And they discovered the Farce Islands. the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands previous to the year 500. In the first volume of his work Professor Gjerset | tells all about this. He sets forth | the great influence which the Norse- men have had on Scotland by their | colonization there; on England by | their early invasions; on Ireland, | France and Spain. Indeed. the entire gamut of Norwegian accomplishments may be seen in this work, for in the | second volume the author shows the | wonderful rise of the Norwegian de- | mocracy in the union period, bringing i his work to a grand finish by describ- | ing the development under the na- | tional constitution after 1914. As an | interesting addition, and one which will prove of great moment to those who are interested in the subject, Professor Gjerset outlines the immi- grafton of Norwegians to this country and tells of the manner In which they | live on these shores.