Einar Benediktsson Collection

In 1935, Einar Benediktsson (1864–1940), poet and editor, donated the land of Herdísarvík to the University of Iceland, in memory of his father, along with his library and furniture. The books were not transferred to the University Library until March 1950, and were kept there in storage until they were moved to the National Library. Einar's library consists mostly of history, as well as Greek and Latin books and works on ancient classical literature. The books are almost exclusively in foreign languages, and the majority of them were printed before 1850, many in the 17th and 18th centuries and a few in the 16th century.