How Iceland Changed the World

The Big History of a Small Island

By: Egill Bjarnason

Narrated by: Einar Gunn

"[A] joyously peculiar book." (The New York Times)

"Bjarnason’s intriguing book might be about a cold place, but it’s tailor-made to be read on the beach." (New Statesman)

The untold story of how one tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic has shaped the world for centuries.

The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. How Iceland Changed the World takes readers on a tour of history, showing them how Iceland played a pivotal role in events as diverse as the French Revolution, the Moon Landing, and the foundation of Israel. Again and again, one humble nation has found itself at the frontline of historic events, shaping the world as we know it, How Iceland Changed the World paints a lively picture of just how it all happened.

©2021 Egill Bjarnason (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A chronicle of those thousand-plus years is breezily and likably unfolded in Egill Bjarnason’s How Iceland Changed the World.” (Wall Street Journal)

“How Iceland Changed the World is not only surprising and informative. It is amusing and evocatively animates a place that I have been fascinated with for most of my life. Well worth the read!” (Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author)

“Egill Bjarnason has written a delightful reminder that, when it comes to countries, size doesn’t always matter. His writing is a pleasure to read, reminiscent of Bill Bryson or Louis Theroux. He has made sure we will never take Iceland for granted again.” (A.J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of Thanks a Thousand and The Year of Living Biblically)

Iceland is pretty cool

This is a latitude of the globe I never thought I would want to visit. After listening to this book, I could hang out with the locals forever. I could deal with claustrophobia, six months of darkness, and volcano threats if I was in the company of Bjarnason’s wonderful neighbors.

A good introduction to Iceland.

It is a very good introduction to history, geography and mentality the people of Iceland. With broad strokes the author is able to paint a humorous realistic picture of the country and its influence on world stage.

Informative and entertaining

My only regret, after listening to this book, was that I did not listen to it prior to my trip to Iceland. Knowing the history of the country would have made it even better. The only reason I booked a trip to Iceland was to accommodate a friend who wanted to go there. She ended up dropping out of the trip but I went any way and was so happy I did. It’s a starkly beautiful country with an interesting culture. This book temps me to go back and see even more of it.

A Fascinating Place

I have always been fascinated by Iceland and its role in creating important medieval literature like the Prose Edda. But it turns out I really didn't know very much about it. For example, I always think of it as very tiny, but it is actually half the size of the United Kingdom—roughly the size of the state of Ohio. And its people, location, and volcanoes have helped to shape the development of the world—all without a military.

If you study Early Modern European history, you have doubtless read about the Little Ice Age (an important cooling of global temperatures). I did not realize it resulted from volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Need a base to hold off Nazis in World War II? It turns out that Iceland was incredibly well positioned for such activity.

But more than that, Bjarnson helps the reader to get to know a rather unique people, how they won their independence, and their role in the modern world. It's a very interesting book.

Brilliant

I will preface this review by stating that I spent 10 days on a small wooden sailboat in the fjords of East Greenland with the author (who at the time was one of the boats crew) and as such I wanted to enjoy the book-which I absolutely did. The long and storied history of Iceland is presented in both a factual and very humorous way. The author does a fabulous job detailing parts of Icelands history with their larger impacts on the world as well as how world events also influenced Iceland. The narration and flow of the book is superb. I often listen to audiobooks while cutting my grass and found myself enjoying the book so much that I stayed on my mower cutting a large swath of my yard twice.

Good overview of Iceland history, politics, and mindset

I appreciated the approach of the book - identifying moments where Iceland had an impact on an important world event, and then building out from there chronologically. It was well researched but still efficient, and had bits of humor and insight throughout. I appreciated being able to listen to the book to learn more about how Icelandic is pronounced - reading it would not have felt so immersive.

an inside view of Iceland

Interesting coverage if history, geography, economy and politics of ziceland by a native Icelanders. Led me to research more information about Iceland. wish I could visit. Recommend the book. The narrator dud a great job and pronounced Icelandic words smoithly.

Love Iceland. Read this book

A wonderful read and full of honest information. A very good value and time well spent.

Fun and engaging

If you are looking for a very in depth narrative of Iceland this may not be for you, but I still recommend it, as the author found ways to make everything he talked about fun and interesting. Definitely covers a wide range of events and cool facts. Worth the read.

Very informative and a fun read

I picked this book up because I read a review of it in a newspaper or a magazine. I was blown away by how important Iceland has been to the world. My two daughters visited there a few years ago and came back glowing about what they saw. Since my last name is WINTER, I don’t mind the snow, ice, and cold. This book got me interested in planning a trip soon.