Urban Literacy in the Nordic Middle Ages

• Literacy
• Cultural & intellectual history (c. 500-1500)
• Urban history (c. 500-1500)
• Scandinavian & Baltic lands (c. 500-1500)

“This is a landmark volume in an expanding research field devoted to developments across a range of social, cultural, and intellectual institutions in the medieval North (…) This volume offers both, delivers a solid grounding in the current state of knowledge in this field, and provides an ideal introductory yet detailed base for both experts and non-experts alike.” (Roderick McDonald, in Parergon, 39/2, 2022, p. 147-148)

“The articles in the book are well structured and written, they are highly informative of the rich and fascinating material and the great variety of source groups related to literacy, and last but not least, they convincingly move beyond the descriptive and use the data to illuminate clearly posed questions (…) When a book is so rich, it is easy to desire even more: mye vil ha mer (much wants more), as is expressed in a popular Norwegian colloquial expression. What about literacies of other genres, such as literature and liturgy? What about depictions of literacy as well as of orality (speaking, words) on art? These suggestions, out of many other possible, are not attempts to point out gaps in the book’s content. Rather they should be seen as responses to the book’s inspirational powers that trigger at least this reader to think of further ways to expand on and contribute to this complex debate, based on other available medieval sources.” (Stefka G. Eriksen, in The Medieval Review, 15/05/2023)

Kasper H. Andersen (born 1980): Historian, PhD, at Moesgaard Museum, Denmark. His main fields of research are urban, political, and cultural history during the Viking age and the medieval period.

Lisbeth M. Imer (born 1973): MA in prehistoric archaeology, PhD in runology, senior researcher at The National Museum of Denmark. Her main fields of research are runology, epigraphy, and literacy in Iron Age, Viking, and medieval society.

Jeppe Büchert Netterstrøm (born 1972): Associate Professor, PhD, of Early Modern History at Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark. His main fields of research are state formation, violence, legal systems and power relations in medieval and early modern rural society.

Bjørn Poulsen (born 1955): Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at the Department History and Classical Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark. His main research interests are in cultural and economic history of high and late medieval Scandinavia.

Rikke Steenholt Olesen (born 1974): Associate Professor, PhD, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her main research interests focus on historical linguistics within the fields of runology and name research.