1 
INTRODUCTION. 
versed in Latin, who might at the same time 
establish a printing-office. For this purpose, 
John Mattheisen, a native of Sweden, was sent 
to Iceland between the years 152/ and 1530, 
and in 1531 the first book was printed at Holum. 
About the middle of the nineteenth century a 
new printing-office was established at Hrapsey, 
by Olafr Olssen, and hence, as well as from the 
former press, several valuable works have issued ; 
but since that period the office at Holum has 
been suppressed, and the only one now in the 
island is situated at Leera in the district of Bor- 
garfiord. 
The remains of antiquity in Iceland are few 
and of small importance, since the country has 
been plundered of all its old manuscripts. Of 
ancient edifices scarcely any traces remain; for 
the mode of building practised in the island with 
pieces of rock without cement is of itself na¬ 
turally unfavorable to the duration of the walls, 
and has also greatly facilitated the attempts of the 
natives to take them in pieces as often as they 
wanted the materials to erect others. The mere 
foundations of large structures are alone now and 
then to be traced, some of which that served as. 
pagan temples are distinguishable by the Blod- 
stein, or stone for sacrifice. 
