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A review by lgrunwald
The Saga of the Volsungs with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok by Unknown
4.0
4 out 5 [Only because I prefer the R.G. Finch translation which is a master piece. See my comments about that in the final paragraph]
This is a review of Dr Jackson Crawford's edition.
While not perfect in the regards of a exact translation Dr. Jackson Crawford has made one of the greatest sagas ever written engaging and accessible to new english speaking saga readers or just in general fans of norse studies. I have read this story many times and I have always loved it and I am so pleased more people may be able to enjoy my love of the Völsunga saga who don't necessarily love reading or writing that sounds too archaic in nature. Inside this great edition is not only the Völsunga saga but also has an added bonus of the english translation and story of the famous Ragnar Loðbrók and his sons! Beautifully done and will definitely be reading more of his translations to see if it has the same effect. If you are curious of the origins of two of the most famous Norse hero's (Sigurðr the dragon slayer and Ragnar Loðbrók) then this version is definitely for you. Also includes extensive notes in the back when you want extra context about words or characters.
However, I will add this is NOT my favourite english translation of the Völsunga. If you don't really care about as much accessibility and want to read what I think is a much better translation of the Icelandic text in english I can't recommend R.G. Finch's translation more. It has the english and old norse text sources and, in my opinion, is just way more enjoyable but it's definitely not an easy read. It also doesn't come with the Ragnar story. If you are interested in this version you can actually find it in a PDF for free online! Can't hurt to try right? Maybe I'll re-read it again and do a specific review for this edition at another time.
This is a review of Dr Jackson Crawford's edition.
While not perfect in the regards of a exact translation Dr. Jackson Crawford has made one of the greatest sagas ever written engaging and accessible to new english speaking saga readers or just in general fans of norse studies. I have read this story many times and I have always loved it and I am so pleased more people may be able to enjoy my love of the Völsunga saga who don't necessarily love reading or writing that sounds too archaic in nature. Inside this great edition is not only the Völsunga saga but also has an added bonus of the english translation and story of the famous Ragnar Loðbrók and his sons! Beautifully done and will definitely be reading more of his translations to see if it has the same effect. If you are curious of the origins of two of the most famous Norse hero's (Sigurðr the dragon slayer and Ragnar Loðbrók) then this version is definitely for you. Also includes extensive notes in the back when you want extra context about words or characters.
However, I will add this is NOT my favourite english translation of the Völsunga. If you don't really care about as much accessibility and want to read what I think is a much better translation of the Icelandic text in english I can't recommend R.G. Finch's translation more. It has the english and old norse text sources and, in my opinion, is just way more enjoyable but it's definitely not an easy read. It also doesn't come with the Ragnar story. If you are interested in this version you can actually find it in a PDF for free online! Can't hurt to try right? Maybe I'll re-read it again and do a specific review for this edition at another time.