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159 - [ICELAND]] [ANONYMOUS]. The Saga of Gunnlaug Ormstunga and S…
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
[ICELAND]] [ANONYMOUS]. The Saga of Gunnlaug Ormstunga and Skald-Rafni. First edition of "The Norse Saga of Gunnlaugr Snake-Tongue", a seminal work for the study of medieval Icelandic literature and the source of numerous Western tales. Hafniae (Copenhagen), Godiche, 1775. Quarto volume (245 × 205 mm). Speckled tan sheepskin, ribbed spine, attached label and richly decorated with small gilt ironwork. (Contemporary binding). 8 unnumbered pages, xxxii, 318 pages, 81 unnumbered pages, 2 plates. Minor flaws on the covers. First edition, bilingual, illustrated with 2 folding plates depicting a meeting house and a banquet hall typical of the year 1000, the era in which the sagas were recited orally. The illustrations also include two in-text vignettes engraved by Georg Haas (pp. 192–193). A famous Icelandic saga, sometimes translated as *The Saga of Gunnlaug Snake-Tongue*, a true tale of love and poetic rivalry dating from the 10th century. This publication features a particularly extensive critical apparatus, with abundant footnotes—sometimes longer than the text itself—and a rich appendix containing several genealogies. Following this is an index of notable events and proper names, an index of words and turns of phrase, as well as an errata. The edition is said to have been edited under the direction of Jón Eiríksson (1728–1787), a politician and intellectual who was one of Iceland’s principal representatives to the Danish administration in the 18th century, playing an important role in defending Icelandic interests. A very fine copy preserved in its original binding.
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About the sale Fine antique and collectible books, manuscripts and modern illustrated works
Auction location
Auction time 06/29/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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