‎Decamps, Virginie‎
‎Iceland‎

‎Christendoms Saga. Hliodane um thad hvornenn Christen Tru kom fyrst a Island/ at forlage thes haloflega Herru/ Olufs Tryggvason ar Noregs Kongs. Cum gratia & Privilegio Sacrae Regiae Maiestatis Daniae & Norvegiae. - [ONE OF THE FIRST SAGAS PRINTED ON ICELAND]‎

‎Skalhollt, Hendrik Kruse, 1688. 4to. Bound in a nice newer, simple full limp vellum binding. Very light brownspotting. An excellent, clean, and fresh copy. Title-page with wide woodcut ornamental border, verso with full-page woodcut portrait of Olav Tryggvason. (4), 25, (2) pp. ‎

‎The rare editio princeps of 'Christendoms Saga' or 'Kristni saga', constituting one of the very first sagas printed on Iceland. The printing of 'Christendoms Saga' in 1688 was a significant event in the history of Icelandic literature and culture. The saga is a historical narrative of the introduction of Christianity to Iceland in the 10th century and had been orally transmitted for centuries. The printing of the saga in 1688 allowed for wider dissemination of the story and cemented the saga's place in Icelandic literary tradition. Iceland's first - and, until 1773, only active - printing press was established around 1530 in Holar, the island's northern episcopal, where it operated until the late seventeenth century. The press came into the private possession of Bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson (ca. 1542-1627) and his descendants, several of whom became bishops as well.The printing in Holar was solely centered on religious texts and are of the utmost scarcity and are never found in the trade. In 1648, Brynjolfur Sveinsson (1605-1675), bishop of Iceland's southern diocese Skalholt asked the Danish authorities for permission to establish another printing press to print historical texts and sagas alongside religious books. Not wanting the competition, his northern colleague in Holar intervened to halt this initiative, and nothing came of the plan for a second press nor of the printing of historical subject-matter for the time being. After Thordur Torlaksson (1637-1697), great-grandson of Bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson, became bishop in 1674, a monopoly from the King was granted, on April 7th, 1688, to print historical books on Iceland. Shortly after, namely the same year that the grant was given, the present work as well as ""Landnamabok"" and ""Islendingabok"" was printed - all three works being of the utmost scarcity. The printing press remained the sole press in Iceland until 1773. The ""Christendoms Saga"" is a significant piece of literature that provides valuable insights into the social, cultural, and religious transformation of Iceland during that period. The saga begins with the arrival of two Christian missionaries, Thorvald Konradsson and Thangbrandur, who are sent to Iceland by the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason. The missionaries face stiff resistance from the pagan chieftains who see Christianity as a threat to their traditional way of life ""Whereas many accounts of Iceland's conversion to Christianity occur within the context of longer works, lives of Olaf Tryggvason or Sagas of Icelanders, Kristni saga (i.e. ""Christendoms Saga"") sets out to tell the history of Icelandic Christianity independently, as its opening sentence explicitly states: Nú hefr þat, hversu kristni kom á Ísland 'Now this is the beginning of how Christianity came to Iceland"". (Duke, kristni saga and its sources: some revaluations)""Kristni saga is the only work in which the missions to Iceland form the main subject of the narrative and the organisational principle of the whole"" it shares with Bede’s Ecclesiastical History the distinction of being one of the few works in the Middle Ages which can justly be described as ‘missionary’ history""."" (Grønlie, Introduction to ""Kristni saga, the book of the icelanders""). The present work is based on Jón Erlendsson's copy (AM 105) of Hauksbók (AM 371), a manuscript from the first decade of the 14th century, which is the only version of it preserved, whose main theme is kristnitaka, that is, the beginnings of Christianity in Iceland and the activity of Ísleifur Gissurarson and Gissur Ísleifsson, who were bishops of Skálholt, between 1056-1080 and 1082-1111.Pre-Eighteenth-Century Icelandic prints are in general very rare and are almost never found in the trade. The Skalhollt-prints are of special interest since they were the first in Iceland to print secular and historical works including the sagas thereby making a seminal contribution to preserving the Icelandic cultural heritage. Klose 5485Fiske p. 331, IcF64AA112‎

‎Bref, rörande en resa til Island 1772. - [EARLY IMPORTANT WORK ON ICELAND]‎

‎Uppsala, Magnus Swederus, 1777. 8vo. In a nice contemporary half calf binding with richly gilt spine. Light occassional marginal miscolouring. Plates closely trimmed but generally a very nice copy. (2), (24), 376, (4) pp. + 12 plates and 2 folded maps. ‎

‎First edition of von Troil’s seminal work on Iceland's geology, flora, fauna, climate, and geography, contributing to the broader scientific understanding of the region during the 18th century. Von Troil's writings about his travels in Iceland helped popularize the island as a destination for European travelers and intellectuals. His account was influential in shaping perceptions of Iceland in the broader European consciousness. “One aim of the Enlightenment period was “to observe everything” on a journey, and Uno von Troil was one of many young scholars who followed these ideas. He seems to have had a general interest in natural history, humanitarian matters and local traditions as well as specialist knowledge in languages, history, philosophy and theology. His initial period abroad – 1770 to 1772 – included visits and regular attendance on lectures at several universities as well as network-building with learned men, particularly in Göttingen. At the arrival in France, he came in contact with the Enlightenment philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Denis Diderot (1713-1784) among others in Paris. The glimpse into the world of these well-known men – more than thirty years his senior – may have influenced him in many ways. To have met Diderot for instance, at the time for his ongoing editing of the Encyclopédie must have been an inspiration for a young man like von Troil, who in the coming year got the possibility to amass facts from a wide range of subjects on the Iceland journey – including weaving, local clothes as well as trade in wool and eiderdown. In the smaller format, it almost became like an encyclopaedia of Icelandic traditions. It is noticeable too, that von Troil had no prior knowledge of the planned Iceland journey when arriving in London 1772, for the reason that Joseph Banks (1743-1820) had changed his travelling arrangements in short notice. James Cook (1728-1779) actually departed without him and found other botanists to explore the flora and fauna on his second voyage, which set sail in July 1772 – that is to say in the same month as the Iceland journey. Uno von Troil came to accompany the twelve-man crew – primarily invited due to his interest in the Icelandic language – on an expedition led by the naturalist Joseph Banks.” (Linda Hall Library) The present work was shortly after publication translated into several other languages: German (1779) English (Letters on Iceland, 1780-83) French (1781) and Dutch (1784). Fiske 608‎

‎Reise igiennem Island. Foranstaltet af Videnskabernes Sælskab i Kiøbenhavn, og beskreven af forbemeldte Eggert Olafsen, med dertil hørende Kobberstøkker og et nyt forfærdiget Kart over island. 2 vols. - [EXCELLENT COPY OF OLAFSEN'S FOUNDATIONAL WORK ON ICELAND]‎

‎Sorøe, Jonas Lindgrens, 1772. 4to (260 x 214 mm). 2 volumes, uniformly bound in two nice contemporary half calf bindings with five raised bands and gilt title- and tome-labels to spines. Ex-libris (Hjalmar Hartmann) pasted on to pasted down front end-paper in both volumes. Previous owner's stamp (Hvedholm Castle) to upper part of title-page in both volumes and two small paper-labels (stating respectively 1592 and 1593 - indicating the booknumber in Hvedholm Castle's catalogue) to lower compartment on spines. A few leaves in vol. 1 with brown stripe in upper margin. An excellent and wide-margined copy. (12), 618 pp. Pp. (2), 519-1042, (62), 20, (2) + 51 engraved plates (numered I-L, with 2 plates numbered XXX) and 1 large folded map. ‎

‎First edition of Olafsson’s landmark work, which is considered the foundation for all later researches on Iceland. The authors travelled around Iceland between the years 1752 and 1757 describing the geology, geography, zoology, botany, archaeology, mineralogy, etc. as well as the economic conditions - an expedition initiated by the Royal Danish Society. “His account is characterized by a certain independence from external references or foreign images he points out differences and yet confers equal value. This emancipation from a world view that exalts uniformity and homogeneity rather than difference and alterity is demonstrated in the auto references Eggert uses. Instead of continuously comparing Iceland to Denmark or other “civilized” cultures, he compares one part of the island with another Icelandic region or the Icelandic status quo with the situation in the past.” (Schaer, From Hell to Homeland, Eggert Olafsson’s Reise igiennem Island and the Construction of Icelandic Identity). Unlike earlier travel accounts, Eggert structures his description in accordance with his actual travels. Thus, he does not give general statements about the land or the people, but he divides his work into four chapters which correspond to the four districts of the country and treats them according to his travels. The survey is generally characterized by a wish to note everything remarkable and does not discriminate between strange and easily-explainable phenomena.“In his detailed description of a natural environment profoundly different from the European one, Eggert does not in any way deny or dismiss the immense effect Icelandic nature must have had on the foreign visitor. But he discovers that discussion of hetero stereotypes, rather than adoption of these foreign views, is necessary to create an auto image. When examining the Icelandic glaciers on behalf of the Danish Academy of Sciences, he does not underestimate the impression these glaciers would have on a foreign spectator. He explicitly states that somebody who sees them for the first time in their life must be more impressed than the native Icelander. The intimidating effect of Icelandic nature thus becomes an attribute dependent on the recipient’s cultural background. Finally, Eggert states that one “does not need the poetic terms of speech of the older days to imagine those effects of nature.” (ibid., p. 101) It is neither necessary to stress the Icelandic nature’s intimidating and terrifying aspect nor to defend the glaciers variance from European or Danish nature by declaring them something more valuable, or even supernatural.” (Schaer, From Hell to Homeland, Eggert Olafsson’s Reise igiennem Island and the Construction of Icelandic Identity). In Iceland, Eggert Ólafsson is also known for his moralist poems, some of which even today enjoy considerable popularity, and he is still considered one of the earliest founders of Icelandic nationalism. The work was later translated into German, French and English. An appendix on Icelandic plants (Flora Islandica) by Johan Zoega is at the end of vol. II.Fiske I 439.Klose 598.Biblioteca Danica III, 613.Regarding the map see Hermansson: The Carthography of Iceland p. 53.‎

‎Viking Archaeology in Iceland, Mosfell Archaeological Project.‎

‎, Brepols - Harvey Miller, 2014 Paperback, XXVI 256 pages ., 83 b/w ill. 10 colour ill. 17 maps, 23 graphs, 28 b/w tables, 216 x 280 mm, Languages: English. ISBN 9782503544007.‎

‎The Viking North Atlantic differs significantly from the popular image of violent raids and destruction characterizing the Viking Age in Northern Europe. In Iceland, Scandinavian seafarers discovered and settled a large uninhabited island. In order to survive and succeed, they adapted lifestyles and social strategies to a new environment. The result was a new society, the Icelandic Free State. This volume examines the Viking Age in Iceland through the discoveries and excavations of the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) in Iceland?s Mosfell Valley. Directed by Professor Jesse Byock with Field Director Davide Zori, MAP brings together scholars and researchers from Iceland, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the United States. The Project incorporates the disciplines of archaeology, history, saga studies, osteology, zoology, paleobotany, genetics, isotope studies, place-names studies, environmental science, and historical architecture. The decade-long research of MAP has led to the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved Viking chieftain?s farmstead, including a longhouse, a pagan cremation site, a conversion-era stave church, and a Christian graveyard. The research results presented here tell the story of how the Mosfell Valley developed from a ninth-century settlement of Norse seafarers into a powerful Icelandic chieftaincy of the Viking Age. ‎

‎"""Peasant art in Sweden Lapland; Iceland. / Peasant art in Sweden Lapland and Ic"""‎

‎"""Peasant art in Sweden Lapland; Iceland. / Peasant art in Sweden Lapland and Iceland. In English (ask us if in doubt)/Peasant art in Sweden Lapland; Iceland. / Krestyanskoe iskusstvo v Shvetsii Laplandii i Islandii. In English. London. The studio. 1910. The book tells about the way of life and arrangement of villages and peasant farming We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalb236160bddf795b1d"""‎