The Vikings — Elizabeth Janeway

Leif Erickson came from a long line of Viking seafarers-men who for hundreds of years had sailed the Atlantic, North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and everything in between. Whether sailing for trade, plunder, or in search of new lands to settle, the mysteries of seafaring were second nature to the Vikings. Their knowledge of the stars, and their sleek and seaworthy vessels took them swiftly and safely where they wanted to go. So it was not surprising that when just a young man, Leif determined to sail unaided from Greenland to Norway to meet the famous king Olaf Tryggvesson. And later when he learned there were lands to the west of Greenland, he didn't hesitate to voyage there to explore this unknown land. It was the saga of Leif's discovery and settlement attempts in North America that later convinced Columbus that the Atlantic Ocean could be crossed and that lands lay in the direction of the setting sun. Part of the original Landmark series of books for young people, The Vikings tells the remarkable story of the intrepid Leif Erickson and his important and exciting adventures as a seafaring Viking.