Árbók Landsbókasafns Íslands - Nýr flokkur - 01.01.1983, Page 86

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ENGLISH SUMMARY
College. Later on the set was removed with the College to Reykjavík. It is now
preserved in the Museum of National History.
Set No 41, the one belonging to the Ofíice of the District Physician, was
presumably returned to Denmark. Apparently, no need was felt to continue it after
the establishment of the Stiftisbókasafn.
A fifth set, which is illuminated, is owned by the National Library. This set is
apparently the one given by the King to the Library of the Landsuppfræðingarfélag
early in the 19th century.
Bréf Willards Fiskes til íslendinga. Nanna Ólafsdóttir bjó til prentunar og ritaði
inngang. Finnbogi Guðmundsson þýddi ensku bréfin. Landsbókasafn Islands. Arbók.
Nýr flokkur 8 (1982). Rv. 1983, pp. 28-68.
The American Daniel Willard Fiske (1831—1904) is well known for his interest in
Icelandic culture. He supported, fmancially or otherwise, various cultural activities
and enterprises in Iceland and made a valuable contribution to increasing the
knowledge about Icelanders, their country and its legacy abroad. He owned a fine
collection of Icelandic books, which he bequeathed to Cornell University (“The
Fiske Icelandic Collection”).
The letters written by Willard Fiske to Icelanders and preserved in the National
Library of Iceland are printed here except for letters to Mr. Pétur Zophoníasson,
which will eventually appear elsewhere. His correspondents are Mr. Jón Sigurðsson,
President of the Icelandic Literary Society; Dr. Grímur Thomsen, the poet; Mr. Árni
Thorsteinsson, treasurer; the Rev. Matthías Jochumsson, poet and translator; Mr.
Steingrímur Thorsteinsson, poet and translator; Mr. Benedikt Gröndal, poet and
teacher; Mr. Jón Borgfirðingur, scholar; Mr. Ólafur Davíðsson, naturalist and
scholar; Mr. Valdimar Ásmundsson, editor; the Rev. Matthías Eggertsson of
Grímsey.
The subject matter of the letters is indeed varied: Fiske sends his friends words of
thanks for favours, tells news of himself and his friends and writes about events that
are taking place abroad. He discusses books, Icelandic and Nordic studies, and his
care for Grímsey and its people is evident from the questions he asks in some of the
letters.
Landsbókasafnið 1982 [a report]. Landsbókasafn Islands. Arbók. Njrflokkur 8 (1982).
Rv. 1983, pp. 69-83.
Accessions. At the end of the year, the number of printed books in the National
Library was, according to the accessions catalogue, 367,002 volumes, the annual
increase being 6,326 volumes. A great number of books were given to the library or
acquired through exchanges (cf. a list on pp. 69-70).
Department of Manuscripts. The total number of catalogued manuscripts was at the
end of the year 13,500. Most of the manuscripts presented to the National Library
during the year are listed on pp. 71-75.
Exhibitions. On the occasion of the 80th birthday of Halldór Laxness on April 23,
an exhibition called “Halldór Laxness og Islandsklukkan” was held in the National
Library. On this exhibition were manuscripts, note-books and various source
material that Halldór Laxness used while writing the novel.