{"product_id":"ivory-vikings-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-and-the-woman-who-made-them-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-9781137279378","title":"Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A fascinating tale of discovery and mystery.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Minneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the early 1800's, on a Hebridean beach in Scotland, the sea exposed an ancient treasure cache: 93 chessmen carved from walrus ivory. The Lewis Chessmen are probably the most famous chess pieces in the world. Harry played Wizard's Chess with them in \u003ci\u003eHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone\u003c\/i\u003e. Housed at the British Museum, they are among its most visited and beloved objects. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eQuestions abounded: Who carved them? Where? Nancy Marie Brown's \u003ci\u003eIvory Vikings\u003c\/i\u003e explores these mysteries by connecting medieval Icelandic sagas with modern archaeology, art history, forensics, and the history of board games. In the process, Ivory Vikings presents a vivid history of the 400 years when the Vikings ruled the North Atlantic, and the sea-road connected countries and islands we think of as far apart and culturally distinct: Norway and Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, and Greenland and North America. The story of the Lewis chessmen brings from the shadows an extraordinarily talented woman artist of the twelfth century: Margret the Adroit of Iceland.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNANCY MARIE BROWN\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of highly praised books of nonfiction, including\u003ci\u003e Song of the Vikings. \u003c\/i\u003eShe is fluent in Icelandic, and spends her summers in Iceland. She has deep ties to the Scandinavian cultural institutions in the U.S. Brown lives in East Burke, VT.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"St. Martins Press-3PL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50492381233426,"sku":"9781137279378","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_fc570f79-45b0-4290-9892-e44128a3c187.jpg?v=1737214059","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/ivory-vikings-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-and-the-woman-who-made-them-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-9781137279378","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}