Scandinavia has long been lauded for its equality, universal welfare, peacefulness, and untouched nature—not to mention its interior design, crime literature, and love of all things hygge. But the Nordic nations have had their dark periods, too: pandemics, wars and occupations, and expansionism are all essential to understanding the Scandinavian story. In The Shortest History of Scandinavia, historian Mart Kuldkepp sketches the outlines of the region’s rich history, tracing its political and social evolution from its first-known peoples, who followed the retreating ice sheet north during the last Ice Age, to the modern Scandinavians living in countries that are among the happiest in the world today.

Through Scandinavia’s many cultural touchstones—tales of Vikings, the Nobel Peace Prizes, and even ABBA—Kuldkepp illuminates the concept of “Nordicness,” a hard-to-define quality that has nonetheless steered the region to respond to major challenges, actively shaping its history and exerting a considerable influence on European and global history in the process. As the issues of climate change, democracy, and world peace continue to shift, The Shortest History of Scandinavia is a pertinent, brisk primer on one of the world’s most admired regions. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.