As a hog odor researcher, I found this book to be a very valuable resource. Excellent selection of discussions regarding the often neglected social aspects in the evolution of the hog industry from some of the "hidden" players in the pork industry, that is sociologists, anthropologists, community leaders, conscientious politicians, and some local farmers.

As a hog odor researcher, I found this book to be a very valuable resource. Excellent selection of discussions regarding the often neglected social aspects of the evolution of the hog industry from some of the "hidden" players in the pork industry, that is sociologists, anthropologists, community leaders, conscientious politicians, and some local farmers.

This book must be read by everyone interested in learning more about the nuances of Icelandic culture. The various authors do well in researching their subjects. Their love of Iceland shines through their scholarly research. This book is one of my favorite books on Iceland because it reminds me of what a great anthropological study Iceland is.

I highly recommend this book for someone who wishes to have a greater understanding of social history and economy in medieval Iceland. Written by an anthropologist it uses a good combination of historical record, written literature (sagas) and anthropological technique to describe the economic conditions of Iceland during this period.

It is a very short book but is nice to have for the collection:

Chapters include: Production Chiefly Consumption Politics Exchange Kinship, Church, and King Ideology

In the conclusion it has a nice justification for the use of the saga as source for social information.

Paul Durrenberger is a US-based anthropologist who has made modern Iceland the focus of his academic research. This book is not a scholarly treatise, but rather a first-hand narrative about the author's experiences as he tries to learn the Icelandic language while working on a farm and insert himself into day-to-day Icelandic life. Although it's not exactly a page-turner, since modern Icelandic life isn't all that exciting or weird, this would be excellent reading for someone planning on visiting Iceland, who wants to go beyond the hackneyed tourist sites and learn something about the people. The book's fatal drawback is Durrenberger's insistance on inserting his left-wing opinions about US politics at every opportunity; he doesn't seem to realize that people are buying the book to learn about Iceland, not to get a lecture about US politics.