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DU CHAILLU, Paul B.
The Viking Age: The Early History, Manners, and Customs of the Ancestors of the English-Speaking Nations.
Illustrated from the Antiquities Discovered in Mounds, Cairns, and Bogs, as well as from the Ancient Sagas and Eddas.
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1890.
Two volumes. Large octavo (9 x 6.25 in.).
Original publisher’s maroon cloth, elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt with Norse knotwork motifs on spines and front covers, black endpapers, top edges gilt. Profusely illustrated throughout with 1,366 wood engravings, including depictions of Viking ships, weapons, jewelry, burial sites, and artifacts, and also a map.
First edition of Paul Belloni du Chaillu’s monumental study of Viking history, culture, and archaeology, a landmark work that helped shape late 19th-century understanding of Norse civilization and its influence on English-speaking peoples. Richly illustrated and still admired for its synthesis of archaeological evidence and saga literature, The Viking Age remains one of the most visually striking historical works of its era.
Spines gently sunned with moderate rubbing to extremities; corners lightly bumped. Inner hinges cracked on volume 1 only but holding; text blocks sound. Boards show some light rubbing and shelfwear, but gilt remains bright and attractive. Interiors generally clean and unmarked, plates crisp. A solid, unrestored set with strong shelf appeal.
References: Lowndes 588 (later ed.); Printing and the Mind of Man [can omit if not applicable]; see also PMM’s commentary on Victorian archaeological works.
An excellent first edition set of this classic work on Viking civilization, increasingly scarce in the original decorative cloth.
