Norrna: The History and Romance of Northern Europe, Volume 11...

by Rasmus Bjørn Anderson

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition ++++ Norrœ The History And Romance Of Northern Europe, Volume 11; Norrœ The History And Romance Of Northern Europe; Rasmus Bjorn Anderson Rasmus Bjorn Anderson Norrœna Society, 1906 Literary Criticism; European; English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Literary Criticism / Medieval; Old Norse literature; Scandinavian literature

382 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2012

About the author

Rasmus Bjørn Anderson (January 12, 1846 – March 2, 1936) was an American author, professor, and diplomat. He brought to popular attention the idea that Viking explorers discovered the New World and was the originator of Leif Erikson Day.

Anderson was born in Albion in Dane County, Wisconsin to parents who were immigrants from Stavanger in the county of Rogaland, Norway. His parents were part of a small band of Quaker sympathizers who organized the first Norwegian emigration to America in the early 1820s. Anderson was a graduate of Luther College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1867-1883. While there, he was the founding head of the Department of Scandinavian Studies, the oldest such department in an American university.

Rasmus B. Anderson founded a publication company, The Norrœna Society, which focused on republishing translations of texts devoted to "the History and Romance of Northern Europe". Anderson was the author of a number of books with Scandinavian themes. He also did a series of translations from Scandinavian languages, most notably the writings of Norwegian novelist Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. From 1885 to 1889, Anderson served as the United States Ambassador to Denmark. After his return to the U.S. in 1889, he was editor (1898–1922) of the Norwegian language weekly, Amerika.

Anderson's book America Not Discovered by Columbus helped popularize the now familiar idea that Vikings were the first Europeans in the New World. Anderson was the originator of the movement to honor Leif Erikson with a holiday in the United States. Through efforts he started and led, Leif Erikson Day became an official observance in his native Wisconsin and other U. S. states. Decades after Anderson's death, it first became a federal observance by Presidential proclamation in 1964.