Every month the National and University Library of Iceland picks one item from its collections and tells its story: a manuscript, photograph, map, poster or letter that has lain untouched for decades. Some of the items are well known; others have never been shown in public.
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Landfræðissaga Íslands (Geological History) by Þorvaldur Thoroddsen
Landfræðissagan (Geological History) by Þorvaldur Thoroddsen was published in four volumes, 1892–1904, and in a German edition in two volumes 1897–98. Þorvaldur is indisputably one of the most prolific writers Iceland has ever had. He wrote in Icelandic and in other languages, both educating his fellow-Icelanders about the nature of their country, and informing the…
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Húsmæðrablaðið 1916
The collection of Valgerður Lárusdóttir Briem (1885–1924) was donated to the Women’s History Archives in 1985. It contains eight handwritten periodicals of Húsmæðrablaðið (e. Housewives Magazine) from 1916. They were written by Valgerður for the members of the newly established housewives associations of Hrafnagilshreppur. Handwritten periodicals were quite common at the time, especially in the country side.…
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A love letter from the 19th century (Lbs. 1000 fol.).
The library’s highlight in September is a love letter from the 19th century. In march 1893, Níels Jónsson (1870 – 1934), a 22 year old farmer from the western fjords of Iceland, wrote a love letter to Guðrún Bjarnadóttir (1872 – 1943) that lived on a neighbouring farm. The letter was very detailed as he…
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„Nokkurar sögur og þættir af fornaldarmönnum Íslendinga“ − Lbs 747 fol.
The manuscript “Nokkurar sögur og þættir af fornaldarmönnum Íslendinga” is preserved in the manuscript collection of the National and University Library of Iceland (Lbs 747 fol.). It is written and decorated in the period 1871-1873 by the brothers Guðlaugur and Guðmundur Magnússon, who were workers in Hafursstaðir and Breiðabólsstaður at Fellströnd. The manuscript contains excerpts…
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Advertisements of Jørgen Jørgensen from 1809
The library’s highlights in July are two of the advertisements of Jørgen Jørgensen who took part in a coup in Iceland in the summer of 1809. The first advertisement, dated June 26, 1809, declared the country’s independence: “Iceland is free from the Danish State”. The advertisement from June 26, 1809 can be seen here. In…
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The magazine 19. júní
The magazine 19. júní (19th of June) was published monthly in Reykjavík in the years 1917–1929. It was focused on women’s rights. The magazine reported on women’s issues such as building the national hospital and women’s use of the right to vote, as well as publishing reviews of books, housing and parental advice, recipes, original…
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ÍBR 1 4to. King Magnus’ law book. Written at Hólar in Hjaltadalur 1681.
Jónsbók is a book of laws, named after Jón Einarsson (d. 1306) who wrote a large part of its first manuscript, was issued in 1281 and became very popular. Even today it is preserved in over 260 copies of manuscripts and some of its sections are still valid. This copy is written in the bishopsite…
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Jón Múli Árnason: “Vikivaki”
Jón Múli Árnason (1921-2002) was nationally known for his work as a radio broadcaster and songwriter. Most of Jón Múli’s songs were composed for the musicals he wrote with his brother Jónas Árnason: Deleríum Búbónis (1959), Rjúkandi ráð (1959), Allra meira bót (1961) and Járnhausinn (1965). Jón Múli was a great jazz enthusiast and taught…
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Dimmalimm by Guðmundur Thorsteinsson (Muggur)
The fairy tale about Dimmalimm by Guðmundur Thorsteinsson (Muggur) (1891-1924) is celebrating its centenary. Muggur traveled to Italy in early March 1921, shortly after the premiere of the film Sons of the Soil based on Gunnar Gunnarsson’s novel, in which Muggur played one of the leading roles. The purpose of the trip to Italy was…
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Items from the possession of Björg C. Þorláksson
Björg Karítas Þorláksdóttir, known as Björg C. Þorláksson, was the first Icelandic woman to complete a doctorate in 1926 at the Sorbonne University in Paris and worked on publishing an Icelandic-Danish dictionary for two decades together with her husband Sigfús Blöndal. Björg was born at Vesturhópshólar in Húnaþing on January 30, 1874. Her parents were…
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„Nú árið er liðið í aldanna skaut“ (Now the year has passed) – Einar Markan
„Nú árið er liðið í aldanna skaut“ is a hymn by Reverend Valdimar Briem (1848-1930). He wrote the hymn the same year that a new hymnal was published in 1886. Many of the best known hymns of the Icelandic Church. The song is by Danish 19. century composer, organist and singing teacher Andreas Peter Berggreen…
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“Í dag er glatt í döprum hjörtum” – Hreinn Pálsson
In 1930, Hreinn Pálsson (1901-1978) sang this song “Í dag er glatt í döprum hjörtum” on a 78 rpm record. Dr. Franz Mixa (1902-1994) played the organ. He was an Austrian conductor and composer who had been hired to conduct music at the 1000th anniversary celebrations of the Althingi that same year. He became one…