The Saga of Eric Brighteyes (Ed. Tom Shippey - Uppsala Books)

Tom Shippey's new edition of H. Rider Haggard's saga-inspired Eric Brighteyes includes: - An introduction to the work's literary and historical context- Extensive annotations on its sources and influences- Discussions of medieval Scandinavia and J.R.R. Tolkien- 17 full-page illustrations by Lancelot SpeedEric Brighteyes published in 1891 represented a new departure for Rider Haggard best-known at the time for his novels set in nineteenth-century Africa such as King Solomon's Mines (1885) and She (1887). Set for the most part in tenth-century Iceland it was praised by Tolkien for its heroic quality and remains the best example of what was once a large and popular genre the Victorian Viking novel. Unlike other works of this kind however though not unusually for Haggard it is driven by female characters and combines scholarly authenticity with Haggard's own unique flair for the strange and supernatural. In this new edition Tom Shippey supplies Eric Brighteyes with extensive explanatory notes and an introduction discussing Tolkien's admiration for Haggard and the Victorian fascination with Vikings.