Iceland by Sabine Baring-Gould My rating: 4 of 5 stars Iceland: Its Scenes and Sagas is a fantastic adventure, and Baring-Gould is an excellent guide on this journey through this beautiful land in the 1860s – a time when her population was estimated at 1,862; in other words, it is an Iceland long gone, that we can hope to glimpse now only through historical narratives such as this. This is a fine winter’s read, to be enjoyed while tucked up by the fire with a mug of tea or hot chocolate, sequestered from the outer cold. The book is longish and rambling, reflecting the slower pace and readerly patience of the 19th century; so, it would not be to everyone’s liking.