**"[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 ...