IN ALL ABOUT 3 500 RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS are known from Swedish territory. Because of this unique wealth of material, they make an important contribution to our knowledge of early culture and society in Sweden. Rune stones are a natural element of the Swedish landscape. They are the oldest linguistic monuments and they provide much contemporary information of inestimable value. The inscriptions often permit us to draw significant conclusions relating to general cultural history. This book, written by Sweden’s leading runologist Professor Sven B. F. ]ansson, presents a survey of the Swedish runic material, both in words and pictures. On the cover: One of the rune stones at Jarlabanke’s bridge, Uppland.