The earliest surviving instance of sustained first-person travel narrative in Arabic Mission to the Volga is a pioneering text of peerless historical and literary value. In its pages, we move north on a diplomatic mission from Baghdad to the upper reaches of the Volga River in what is now central Russia. In this colorful documentary from the tenth century, the enigmatic Ibn Fadlan relates his experiences as part of an embassy sent by Caliph al-Muqtadir to deliver political and religious instruction to the recently-converted King of the Bulghars. During eleven months of grueling travel, Ibn Fadlan records the marvels he witnesses on his journey, including an aurora borealis and the white nights of the North. Crucially, he offers a description of the Viking Rus, including their customs, clothing, body painting, and a striking account of a ship funeral. Together, these anecdotes illuminate a vibrant world of diversity during the heyday of the Abbasid Empire, narrated with as much curiosity and zeal as they were perceived by its observant beholder. An English-only edition.

It has been described as the greatest epic voyage in modern Irish history.

Tim Severin and his companions built a boat using only techniques and materials available in the sixth-century A.D., when St Brendan was supposed to have sailed to America. The vessel comprised forty-nine ox hides stitched together in a patchwork and stretched over a wooden frame. This leather skin was only a quarter of an inch thick. Yet Severin and his crew sailed Brendan from Brandon Creek in Dingle to Newfoundland, surviving storms and a puncture from pack ice. The Brendan Voyage is Tim Severin s dramatic account of their journey. This new edition of a book already translated into twenty-seven languages introduces a new generation of readers to an enduring classic.

Tim Severin didn t prove St Brendan reached America, only that he could have, that it was possible. Brilliantly written, The Brendan Voyage conveys unforgettably the sensation of being in a small, open boat in the vastness of the North Atlantic, visited by inquisitive whales, reaching mist-shrouded landfalls, and receiving a welcome from seafaring folk wherever the crew touched land."

Sailing across the Caribbean Hector Lynch falls into the hands of the notorious buccaneer, Captain John Coxon. Hector's two friends, Dan and Jacques, are released when Coxon mistakes Hector as the nephew of Sir Thomas Lynch the Governor of Jamaica - an error that Hector encourages.

Coxon delivers Hector to Sir Henry Morgan, a bitter enemy of Governor Lynch. The captain is expecting to curry favour with Henry Morgan but is publicly humiliated at a Christmas ball held in Morgan's grand Jamaican home when it is revealed that Hector is not a member of the Governor's family. From then on, Coxon seeks to revenge himself on Hector and the young seafarer finds himself on the run again. On his new journey he falls in love for the first time, gets caught in a deadly hurricane and merely survives another shipwreck. Eventually he teams up again with his old friends Dan, Jacques and the group joins an expedition along the Panama coast. Their aim is to raid one of the biggest Spanish gold mines, but their plans are soon interfered by some angry Spaniards. . . and their clash has even more dramatic consequences . . .

With his signature approach to literary sleuthing, Tim Severin retraces the footsteps of castaways and pirates to discover the inspiration behind Daniel Defoe's brilliant creation, Robinson Crusoe. . Insightful travel writing, riveting narrative history, and clever scholarly discoveries make this a remarkably rich and varied book. Tim Severin has once again demonstrated a superb ability to bring together literature and adventure in an engrossing narrative.

The Pope's Assassin by Tim Severin is the exciting third book in Saxon, the historical adventure series full of epic battles and captivating characters. Rome, 799 AD. Pope Leo is viciously attacked in the street, by unknown assailants. Sigwulf, a Saxon prince who has been banished to the court of King Carolus in Frankia, is sent to Rome as a spy to discover who was responsible. There, he discovers a web of lies - the only clue to the attackers' identity is an intricate gold buckle, which Sigwulf links with a mysterious gold warrior flagon he finds in the home of the Pope's chamberlain. Could the attack have its source in even the highest levels of the church? Pope Leo had made enemies among the nobility on his rapid ascension to St Peter's Throne, and there are many who would see another in his place. Returning to Paderborn Palace in Frankia to report his discovery, the flagon is stolen, and Sigwulf is tasked with tracing it. His journey takes him deep into dangerous territory, to the notorious stronghold of the pagan Avars . . .

Privateer by Tim Severin is the fourth swashbuckling adventure in the Pirate series. Hector Lynch and his companions are in the Caribbean, diving to plunder a wreck on the notorious Vipers reef, when they are spotted by a passing Spanish ship. To prevent news of their activities getting out, they cripple the Spanish vessel by burning her sails - an act of piracy - and then head for their base in Tortuga. There Hector's wife Maria awaits, for she and Hector are planning a better life for themselves - this time on the right side of the law. But a chance encounter at sea means that Hector and his comrades run afoul of Laurens de Graff - renowned swashbuckling mercenary captain - now in command of a royal French frigate. Slipping from de Graff's clutches, Hector and his friends are cast away on the tiny desert island, Salt Tortuga. Hector tries desperately to make his way back to Maria, meanwhile she has decided to undertake the hazardous journey to find him. Hector's adventures and Maria's tenacity lead them towards Port Royal in Jamaica - known as the wickedest city on earth. And Hector, accused of piracy, once more enters a world he had sworn to leave behind.

Sea Robber by Tim Severin is the third swashbuckling adventure in the Pirate series. Ambushed by a gang of hardened sea robbers headed for the South Sea, Hector Lynch, pirate and fugitive, must navigate their vessel on a nightmarish journey through the stormy seas off Cape Horn. There Hector uncovers the macabre and eerie remains of a small warship entombed on an ice float. Her only crew are two skeletons - the unfortunate captain and his dog, both frozen to death. When his ruthless shipmates abandon him in Peru, Hector learns from the dead captain's brother that Maria, the young Spanish woman who stole his heart and whose false testimony saved him from the gallows, is now living on the remote Ladrones, the Thief Islands, on the far side of the Pacific. Hector's epic voyage to reach Maria will bring him face to face with a Japanese warlord who submits trespassers to his island to a deadly duel and a naked Stone Age tribe who file their teeth to sharp points and sail boats that outpace the fastest galleon.

Buccaneer by Tim Severin is the second swashbuckling adventure in the Pirate series. Sailing across the Caribbean, Hector Lynch falls into the hands of the notorious buccaneer, Captain John Coxon, who mistakes him for the nephew of Sir Thomas Lynch, Governor of Jamaica. Hector encourages the error so that his friends Jacques and Dan can go free. Coxon then delivers Hector to Sir Henry Morgan, a bitter enemy of Governor Lynch, expecting to curry favour with Morgan, but is publicly humiliated when the deception is revealed. From then on, Hector has a dangerous enemy, and Coxon seeks to revenge himself on Hector . . . Befriended by Jezreel, an ex-prize fighter, Hector meets up again with his friends Jacques and Dan, and the four comrades join the great buccaneer raid, which marches through the jungle along the Panama coastline. But their expedition is soon interrupted - with deadly consequences.

The Emperor's Elephant by Tim Severin is the exciting second book in Saxon, the historical adventure series full of exploration and captivating characters. Sigwulf, a Saxon prince exiled to the court of Carolus, King of the Franks, is summoned by the royal advisor Alcuin of York. Carolus has received magnificent gifts from the Caliph of Baghdad and is determined to send back presents that will be equally sensational. White is the royal colour of Baghdad so the most important gifts will be rare white animals from the Northlands. Sigwulf, having proved himself as a royal agent to Moorish Spain, has been selected to obtain the creatures, then take them to Baghdad. He must find white gyrfalcons and two white polar bears and - as Carolus has seen its picture in a book of beasts - a unicorn. He and his companions travel far into the north. Though they obtain some of the animals, they quickly realize that not all are even real. Setting out for Baghdad with their menagerie, they encounter danger after danger and it seems that someone is trying to wreck their mission, with each stage of the long journey bringing a new and unexpected peril . . .

The Book of Dreams by Tim Severin is the exciting first book in Saxon, the historical adventure series full of epic battles and captivating characters. A haunting premonition . . . A deadly betrayal. Frankia 780AD: Sigwulf, a minor Saxon prince, is saved from execution after his family is slaughtered by the ruthless King Offa of Mercia. Sigwulf is exiled to the Frankish court of King Carolus, the future Charlemagne. He gains the friendship of some - Count Hroudland, Carolus's powerful and ambitious nephew but - mysteriously - several attempts are made on Sigwulf's life. When he obtains a Book of Dreams, a rare text giving understanding to their meaning, he attracts the attention of Carolus himself. But the Book proves to be a slippery guide in a world of treachery and double dealing. Sent into Spain to spy on the Saracens, Sigwulf becomes caught between loyalties; either he honours his debt to new friends among the Saracens, or he serves his patron Count Hroudland in his quest for glory, gold and even the Grail itself . . .

King's Man by Tim Severin is the thrilling third volume in the captivating Viking trilogy - an epic adventure in a world full of Norse mythology and bloodthirsty battles. Constantinople, 1035: Thorgils has become a member of the Varangian lifeguard and witnesses the glories of the richest city on earth but also the murderous ways of the imperial family. Under the leadership of warrior chief Harald Sigurdsson he is set up as the unwitting bait in a deadly ambush to destroy Arab pirates harassing the Byzantine shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. When Harald eventually ascends the throne of Norway, his liegeman Thorgils is despatched on a secret mission to Duke William of Normandy with a plan to coordinate the twin invasions of England. On 20 September 1066 Harald's fleet of three hundred ships sails up the Ouse, confident of success, but a prophetic dream warns Thorgils that Duke William has duped his allies and the Norsemen are heading for disaster at Stamford Bridge. Thorgils embarks upon a race against time to reach and warn his liege lord before the battle begins. But will Odinn's devout follower really be able to anticipate what fate has decreed and save the heritage of his Viking ancestors?

Corsair by Tim Severin is the first swashbuckling adventure in the Pirate series. 1677. On a late-summer's evening, two ships lurk off the coast of southwest Ireland. Seventeen-year-old Hector Lynch wakes to the sound of a pistol shot as the Barbary corsairs raid his village, and he and his sister are snatched. Separated from each other, Hector is sold at auction in Algiers, and thrown into a bewildering world where life is cheap and only the quick-witted survive. In North Africa, Hector befriends fellow captive Dan, a Miskito Indian from the Caribbean, and the two men convert to Islam to escape the horrors of the slave barracks - only to become victims of the deadly warfare of the Mediterranean. Serving aboard a Turkish ship, their vessel is sunk at sea and by a savage twist of fortune they are chained to the oar bench of a French galley. Desperate to find his sister, Hector finally stumbles on the chilling truth of her fate when he and Dan are shipwrecked on the coast of Morocco.

The thrilling second volume in the Viking trilogy - an epic adventure in a world full of Norse mythology and bloodthirsty battles London, 1019: a few months have passed since Thorgils has escaped the clutches of the Irish Church only to find himself at the centre of a capricious love affair with Aelfgifu, wife of Knut the Great, ruler of England, and one of the most powerful men of the Viking empire. A passionate relationship between two unlikely lovers begins to unfold, which forebodes uncontrollable consequences...When Thorgils is finally on the run again, he meets Grettir, an outlaw who is feared by most for his volatile and brooding behaviour. The two men become travel companions and sworn brothers - which binds them together beyond death. At the gates of Byzantium Thorgils' loyalty is put to the ultimate test...Sworn Brother continues an utterly compelling journey back in time to a world that is brimming with wonderfully crafted characters and their insatiable hunger for riches and renown.

Set in an ancient Viking world full of brooding Norse mythology and bloodthirsty battles, VIKING - Odinn's Child is the stunning first volume in an epic historical fiction trilogy. Our story begins in the year 1001 and the toddler, Thorgils Leiffson, son of Leif the Lucky and Thorgunna, arrives on the shores of Brattahlid in Greenland to be brought up in the fostercare of a young woman - Gudrid. Thorgils is a rootless character of quicksilver intelligence and adaptability. He has inherited his mother's ability of second sight and his destiny lies beyond the imagination of those around him. Virtually orphaned, he is raised by various mentors, who teach him the ancient ways and warn him of the invasion of the 'White Christ' into the land of the 'Old Gods'. Thorgils is guided by a restless quest for adventure and the wanderlust of his favoured god, Odinn. His fortunes take him into many dangerous situations as well as to the brink of death by execution, in battle, disease and shipwreck...Packed with wonderfully reimagined Viking sagas and adventures, and fascinating and unique characters, VIKING - Odinn's Child gives historical novel writing a new dimension.