Ibn Fadlan and the Land of DarknessA fascinating collection of medieval Arabic travel writing, translated into English by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. In 922 AD, an Arab envoy from Baghdad named Ibn Fadlan encountered a party of Viking traders on the upper reaches of the Volga River. In his subsequent report on his mission, he gave a meticulous and astonishingly objective description of Viking customs, dress, table manners, religion, and sexual practices, as well as the only