The Manuscript Collection of the National Library of Iceland traces its beginnings to 1846, when the National Library bought the manuscript collection of Bishop Steingrímur Jónsson and Valgerður Jónsdóttir. Their collection included manuscripts from three generations of one family: Bishop Hannes Finnsson, his father Bishop Finnur Jónsson and his grandfather the Reverend Jón Halldórsson of Hítardalur. The National Library’s manuscript collection (shelfmark: LBS) grew year by year. In 1879 the Library bought the manuscript collection of Jón Sigurðsson, which holds 1,342 manuscript numbers (JS). In 1901 it bought the manuscript collection of the Icelandic Literary Society, its Copenhagen branch (ÍB) and Reykjavík branch (ÍBR), with 1,800 manuscript numbers. The Library acquired more manuscript collections in the 20th century, and it still receives manuscripts, though now mainly private archives.