Böcker av Byron J. Nordstrom

Culture and Customs of Sweden is an ideal introduction to this fascinating nation. The book opens with a broad overview of the country and then examines specific themes such as religion, marriage, family, gender issues, education, holidays, popular customs, sports and leisure, media, literature, performing arts, art, and architecture. Throughout, the author seeks to strike a balance between the history of these many aspects of contemporary Sweden and what is happening there today-at a time when Sweden is undergoing many profound changes. For example, the chapter on literature looks at both the development of Swedish literature since the Middle Ages and at current interests, themes, and writers. Each of the themes covered is central to introducing both Sweden's past and its present, facilitating the kind of understanding that is so important in this ever-shrinking world.

Nordstrom's work fills a serious gap in English-language reference sources on the Scandinavian countries. The dictionary spans the period from the Viking Age to the present. Choice

Nordstrom traces the history of Sweden, detailing its prehistory and Viking past. This book shows how a country governed for years by a European monarchial system slowly-and at times grudgingly-changed into the egalitarian, democratic system of today.