Njál's Saga - Bayerschmidt & Hollander (George Allen & Unwin, UK First Edition Thus, 1956)

This George Allen and Unwin UK first edition thus (1956) is of interest to collectors of Old Norse literature, medieval saga translations, and mid-century scholarly editions in original dust jackets.

About: First UK edition of the Bayerschmidt and Hollander translation of Njál's Saga, the most celebrated of the Icelandic family sagas, presented in the striking original black and blue dust jacket. A handsome and collectible copy from the same publisher as Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, whose advertisement appears on the rear panel of this very dust jacket. A pleasing association for bibliophiles of the Allen & Unwin list.

Details:

• Title: Njál's Saga
• Translators: Carl F. Bayerschmidt and Lee M. Hollander
• Publisher: George Allen and Unwin Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 1956
• Edition: 1st UK Edition Thus (Bayerschmidt & Hollander translation)
• Binding: Hardcover
• Notes: Rear DJ panel advertises The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Synopsis: UK first edition of the authoritative Bayerschmidt and Hollander translation, in original dust jacket. The best-known and most-loved of the Icelandic sagas, desirable for collectors of medieval literature, Norse studies, and the George Allen & Unwin imprint.

Review: Njál's Saga is the greatest of the Old Icelandic family sagas, a sweeping narrative of honour, law, vengeance, and fate set in 10th-century Iceland, culminating in the burning of Njál and his family at Bergþórshvoll. The Bayerschmidt and Hollander translation, published by George Allen and Unwin in 1956, is regarded as one of the most authoritative and readable English renderings of the text, praised for its fidelity to the saga style and its scholarly apparatus of introduction and notes.