The first two volumes of the series were published in 2016, and the next four between 2017 and 2022. The commission’s documents offer a unique insight into Icelandic society around the year 1770, when the commission travelled around the country collecting information about the daily life of citizens, occupations, and governance.

The volumes are organized as follows:

• Volume I. Letters from the public (2016)

• Volume II. Letters from priests (2016)

• Volume III. Letters from officials (2018)

• Volume IV. Letters from high-ranking officials (2019)

• Volume V. Minutes and letters of the commission (2020)

• Volume VI. Working documents of the commission (2022)

The collection includes original letters in both Icelandic and Danish, as they were originally sent to the commission. Most of the Icelandic letters were translated at the time by the commission’s secretary, Eyjólfur Jónsson, but those received just before the commission’s departure were never translated — this was rectified in connection with the publication.

The books include scholarly articles, detailed annotations, and indexes of names and subjects, all in both Icelandic and Danish.

The books were published in collaboration with the the Danish National Archives and Sögufélag (Historical Society) and can be purchased on the society’s website or in major bookstores.

You can view the website of the Landsnefndin fyrri 1770–1771 and access the digital edition of the books here.