Wealth of Icelanders # 86671
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The Wealth of Icelanders. Excerpts from the History of Icelandic Book Publishing and Printing from the Early Modern Period to the Present Century. Compiled by Böðvar Kvaran.
In Morgunblaðið, October 14, 1995, Sigurjón Björnsson writes about Audlegð Böðvar Kvaran. He says, among other things, "This book brings together a vast amount of information about book and newspaper publishing, as well as their printing, from the time printing began in this country shortly after 1530 until the middle of this century."
The book is clearly written from the perspective of a collector and serves well as a library handbook. However, this does not change its universal value as an educational publication for all those who want to learn about Icelandic book publishing.
In accordance with the above-mentioned point of view, the author leads the reader into the world of the book in steady steps. After an introduction that includes an entertaining discussion of the author's interactions with the notable writers Helga Tryggvason and Þorstein Jósepsson, he discusses the main foreign sources. The main ones are the Fiske catalogue, the Islandica series, and various other foreign bibliographies. The next chapter describes several foreign libraries where Icelandic books are best found. Then comes Icelandic bibliographic sources. A short chapter is on the history of printing and the main sources on the subject. This brings us to the main subject of the book, i.e. tracing the history of book publishing up to recent times.
It is certainly an informative read. It tells of the promoters of publishing, printers, printing houses and published books. There are a large number of pictures, both of people and of the title pages of rare books, and sources are always faithfully referenced and publications are described where more information can be obtained on individual subjects.
The author can have his list of books more or less exhaustive for the first two centuries, the sixteenth and seventeenth. When we get to the eighteenth century, but especially the nineteenth and twentieth, it becomes inevitable to select and reject and only touch on the most significant. Nevertheless, it is surprising how much material he covers without the reading becoming tiring and enumerating. Here it is especially useful how diligent the author is in referring to additional education.
When this overview ends, the story turns to Copenhagen and the publishing issues there. The activities of the Literary Society are the most prominent there, and that history is actually followed to Reykjavík. Then the Icelandic Society of Scholars in Copenhagen and the Icelandic Society of Friends in Reykjavík are described. Next, a chapter is inserted on activities here in the 19th and 20th centuries, and then reference is made to publishing societies, such as the Historical Society and the Antiquarian Society, and the significant initiative of Sigurður Kristjánsson. The main pioneers are mentioned, and finally the main publishing societies in the first half of this century are explained. One might have thought that this chapter had come earlier, because it has still gone abroad. First, the publication of Icelandic books in Sweden is described, but then it turns to Denmark and goes back somewhat in time. It thoroughly describes the work of Árni Magnússon, the publishing work carried out by the Árni Foundation, and much more. There is a chapter on Icelandic printers in Denmark. There are also chapters on academic and publishing work in Norway, Britain and Germany, and finally in the Western world.
The final chapter is entitled Icelandic Librarians. It tells of Jón Sigurðsson, Jón Þorkelsson, rector, Þorsteinn Þorsteinnsson, sheriff, Kristján Kristjánsson, bookseller, Benedikt S. Þórarinsson, merchant, Jón Þorkelsson, keeper of the national archives, Þorsteinn M. Jónsson, Þorvaldur Guðmundsson, innkeeper, Páll Jónsson, librarian, and Reverend Eirík J. Eiríksson. The collections of these men are described as best as possible and what happened to them is reported.
At the end of the book there are sixteen appendices that I expect collectors will find useful. Then there are references in four indexes, and finally there is an extensive index.
In Morgunblaðið, October 14, 1995, Sigurjón Björnsson writes about Audlegð Böðvar Kvaran. He says, among other things, "This book brings together a vast amount of information about book and newspaper publishing, as well as their printing, from the time printing began in this country shortly after 1530 until the middle of this century."
The book is clearly written from the perspective of a collector and serves well as a library handbook. However, this does not change its universal value as an educational publication for all those who want to learn about Icelandic book publishing.
In accordance with the above-mentioned point of view, the author leads the reader into the world of the book in steady steps. After an introduction that includes an entertaining discussion of the author's interactions with the notable writers Helga Tryggvason and Þorstein Jósepsson, he discusses the main foreign sources. The main ones are the Fiske catalogue, the Islandica series, and various other foreign bibliographies. The next chapter describes several foreign libraries where Icelandic books are best found. Then comes Icelandic bibliographic sources. A short chapter is on the history of printing and the main sources on the subject. This brings us to the main subject of the book, i.e. tracing the history of book publishing up to recent times.
It is certainly an informative read. It tells of the promoters of publishing, printers, printing houses and published books. There are a large number of pictures, both of people and of the title pages of rare books, and sources are always faithfully referenced and publications are described where more information can be obtained on individual subjects.
The author can have his list of books more or less exhaustive for the first two centuries, the sixteenth and seventeenth. When we get to the eighteenth century, but especially the nineteenth and twentieth, it becomes inevitable to select and reject and only touch on the most significant. Nevertheless, it is surprising how much material he covers without the reading becoming tiring and enumerating. Here it is especially useful how diligent the author is in referring to additional education.
When this overview ends, the story turns to Copenhagen and the publishing issues there. The activities of the Literary Society are the most prominent there, and that history is actually followed to Reykjavík. Then the Icelandic Society of Scholars in Copenhagen and the Icelandic Society of Friends in Reykjavík are described. Next, a chapter is inserted on activities here in the 19th and 20th centuries, and then reference is made to publishing societies, such as the Historical Society and the Antiquarian Society, and the significant initiative of Sigurður Kristjánsson. The main pioneers are mentioned, and finally the main publishing societies in the first half of this century are explained. One might have thought that this chapter had come earlier, because it has still gone abroad. First, the publication of Icelandic books in Sweden is described, but then it turns to Denmark and goes back somewhat in time. It thoroughly describes the work of Árni Magnússon, the publishing work carried out by the Árni Foundation, and much more. There is a chapter on Icelandic printers in Denmark. There are also chapters on academic and publishing work in Norway, Britain and Germany, and finally in the Western world.
The final chapter is entitled Icelandic Librarians. It tells of Jón Sigurðsson, Jón Þorkelsson, rector, Þorsteinn Þorsteinnsson, sheriff, Kristján Kristjánsson, bookseller, Benedikt S. Þórarinsson, merchant, Jón Þorkelsson, keeper of the national archives, Þorsteinn M. Jónsson, Þorvaldur Guðmundsson, innkeeper, Páll Jónsson, librarian, and Reverend Eirík J. Eiríksson. The collections of these men are described as best as possible and what happened to them is reported.
At the end of the book there are sixteen appendices that I expect collectors will find useful. Then there are references in four indexes, and finally there is an extensive index.