The Power Of Books 'n Reading

Svanur Gísli Þorkelsson

·

Icelanders love books.

No nation produces as many different books
in its own language as Icelanders based on the capital.

(Of course)

An old poll once showed that 10% of the nation w
ould at some point in their lifetime write and publish a book.

It is difficult to decide which Icelandic book is the most read book of our time,
but unrnastofnun claims that Jónsbók has long been the most read of all books
in Iceland and many learned to read it.

I hold the statement that most educated Icelanders used to be very legal
because Jónsbók is a law book that took over as the main base of Icelandic dishes
from Járnsíð in the year 1281 following the changes that caused to Icelanders
gen gu on behalf of the Norwegian King with the Old Covenants 1262-64.

Of Jónsbók there are most preserved manuscripts of all Icelandic medieval texts
or in the third century.

The biggest and most beautiful of them all is Skarðsbók.

About it can be read on the website of the márnastofnun that it is well preserved
and in it 157 pages.

Two columns are on a page, margins wide, the font is unusual
compared to what happens in Icelandic manuscripts
and larger than in other manuscripts that have been considered written
by this same writer.

The description of the book is considered one of the most beautiful
known in Icelandic scripts; fifteen story letters adorn the book
and stretch their lines according to the long columns of text;
in addition, almost each initial letter is beautifully made
and a versatile human spirit color drawn to many of them.

Skarðsbók is actually the name of two ancient Icelandic leather inscriptions.

The other book is the Skarðs Book of the Apostles it was owned by the church
in Skarður on Skarðsströnd for a long time, but disappeared from there around 1820.

She was last mentioned in the church's register in 1807
but in 1827 it is noted that she is nowhere to be found.

Nothing is known about where the Book of Acts or Codex Scardensis as the script
was called then, was completed between 1807 and 1836.

In 1836 the book appears in London where it is offered for sale by Thomas Thorpe,
who was one of the city's most well-known antiques booksellers at that time.

Thorpe managed to sell the book in November 1836 to Thomas Phillipps
who was a great bookworm and collector.

He published a list of his books and that's how enthusiasts
of Nordic literature got to know where to find the book at the time.

At the death of Thomas Phillipps, his daughter Catherine inherited his entire library
and began to sell it a little bit, but never offered for sale the Book of Acts.

In 1938 the remaining library, and housed at Thirlstaine House in Cheltenham
bought by Thomas Phillipps to store in his museum, was confiscated
by the British government as part of its preparations
for its World War Another one.

All the books were packed in containers kept in the basement of the house.

In 1945 the entire collection was bought by the pre-sale William H Robinson Ltd.

It stopped operations in 1956 and then the Icelandic book was still unsold
and ended up in the private library of Lionel and Philip Robinson.

In 1960, Jon Helgason, director of the Desmond Slay Oral Institute at the University of Wales, asked him to weigh in on the script he and made.

On the 30th. November 1965 the manuscript was bought by several Icelandic banks
and the purchase was organized by Johannes Nordal.

Banks and john got mr t Hannas, a Norwegian bookseller who lived in London
to buy the manuscript so little barred to prevent the increase in the purchase price.

The Icelandic banks then gave the Icelandic nation the script
which was the first to be handed over to the Foundation of .rni Magnússon
in Iceland for preservation, and received the collection mark S banM 1 foal.

·
See original
·
Rate this translation​

Share