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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Bookbinding by Ársæll Árnason in the bookbinders’ library
The bookbinders’ library that the Icelandic Bookmakers Association (Grafía) gave to the National Library of Iceland – University Library for conservation in 2012 includes many significant works,like Ársæll Árnason’s Prize Book from the Icelandic Industrial Show in 1911. Ársæll Árnason (1886-1961) began his bookmaking studies at Guðmundur Gamalíelsson’s workshop in Reykjavík in 1895. Ársæll received…
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Vísnakver Fornólfs (Poetry Book of Fornólfur)
Vísnakver Fornólfs (Poetry Book of Fornólfur) was published in 1923. The book is a good example of increased imagery in publishing after printmaking became possible in Iceland after 1919 – and 20 copies of the book are printed on a drawing paper with hand drawn drawings. The author of the book is Jón Þorkelsson’s forni…
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Mínerva – a magazine for entertainment and information Guðrún Lárusdóttir published and edited.
Guðrún Lárusdóttir was born at Valþjófsstaður in the East of Iceland on January 8th 1880. She grew up in Eskifjörður and then Reyðarfjörður. The family moved to Reykjavík in 1899. Guðrún was a writer, member of a parliament, town councilor, representative for the poor and active in many societies. She married Sigurbjörn Ástvaldur Gíslason and…
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Íslandsvísur – Jón Trausti and Þórarinn B. Þorláksson
In 1903 the book Íslandsvísur (Iceland Verses) by Jón Trausti [Guðmundur Magnússon] [1873-1918] and Þórarinn B. Þorláksson [1867-1924] was published. The book is a good example of successful collaboration between authors of text and images – the drawings are combined with the text, all looks and overall conception conceived as a single piece and the book…
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The King’s Law
The first book registered in the Library’s first book of acquisitions (1820), Fortegnelse de til det Islandske Stifts Bibliotek indkomme Böger, (Lbs 104 fol), was Lex Regia Det er: Den Souveraine Konge=Lov SAT OG GIVEN AF DEN Stoormegtigste Höjbaarne FYRSTE OG HERRE Herr FRIDERICH Den TREDJE, AF GUDS NAADE, KONGE TIL DANMARK OG NORGE, DE…
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The first registration of the Library
The National Library of Iceland was founded in 1818. The first registration of its collection was printed at the expense of the Icelandic Literary Society in Copenhagen in 1828. There were a total of 3.777 volumes in the library at that time. The main author of the registry was Peder Fieldsted Hoppe, who was the…
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Portable harmonium owned by Jón Leifs
Jón Leifs (1899-1968) was 17 year old when he traveled to Leipzig, Germany to become a composer and conductor. In the 1920s and again in the 1930s, Jon traveled in Iceland to write down and record folk songs. These recordings are invaluable documentation of Icelandic music heritage. The portable harmonium was made around 1900. Jón…
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Bad taste Icelandic republic postcards
The 50-year anniversary of the Icelandic republic in 1994 was in a certain way a watershed for the publishers Bad Taste. Bragi Ólafsson asked Eduardo Perez Baca to take photos for a postcard series in commemoration of the anniversary. Óttarr Proppé and Björn Blöndal from the band Ham were chosen as models, along with Magga…
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“There was a blessed night ” („Nóttin var sú ágæt ein“) – Þuríður Pálsdóttir
Þuríður Pálsdóttir was born in Reykjavík in 1927, daughter of Kristín Norðmann piano teacher and Páll Ísólfsson composer and organist. Þuríður has been a solo singer since 1948. She studied singing and music in Italy in the 1950s and completed a teacher’s degree from the Reykjavík Music School in 1967 and also studied piano and…
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Martin Luther – CATECHISMVS
Martin Luther – CATECHISMVS Edur. Ehristelegur[!] Lærdomur, Fyrer einfallda Presta og Predikara, Hwsbændur og Vngmenne. On 31 October, 500 years have passed since Martin Luther published his 95 theses which caused widespread changes in the issues of christianity, church, society, and culture in northern Europe. Catechismus was written by Martin Luther and published in Germany…
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Dægradvöl
The autobiography Dægradvöl (e. Pastime) was written by Benedikt Gröndal, at an old age, at the end of the 19th century. In the biography, Benedikt reviews his eventful life and for example writes very openly about his contemporaries. Benedikt was born on October 6th 1826 and died August 2nd 1907. The manuscript collection preserves numerous…
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A letter from Fr. Schlichtegroll about a library and a scientific society in Iceland 1817
200 years have passed since the first mention of establishing a public library in Iceland. A letter from Friedrich Schlichtegroll, Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Munich, dated 28 August 1817, to Dr. Münter, bishop in Zealand, Denmark is preserved in the library. In the letter, which is in German, Schlichtegroll encourages the…