Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑

$195.00
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑
Independent People by Halldór Laxness (1946 First American Edition) - Nobel Prize Author & Original Dust Jacket 🇮🇸📚🐑

This volume is an authenticated First American Edition (1946) of Independent People: An Epic by the Icelandic Nobel Laureate Halldór Laxness. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, this work is considered one of the great European novels of the 20th century.

The collectible value is anchored by the book's status as the definitive English-language entry point for a Nobel Prize winner. Its value is further secured by the original Philip Grushkin dust jacket and the unique Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King". This piece is an investment in a documented work of world literature with a rich, traceable personal history.

 

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨

 

Independent People is a satirical, yet deeply human, saga centered on Bjartur of Summerhouses, an obstinate, poverty-stricken sheep farmer in Iceland. The core theme is the farmer's fierce, almost absurd, pursuit of independence—he is willing to fight "against all eternity" and hold onto his land "against hell and high water".

The novel explores the harsh reality of life in Iceland, where "life has always been cruel, hard and on an epic scale". The beautiful, illustrated dust jacket, designed by Philip Grushkin, depicts a small, isolated Icelandic village against a backdrop of snow-dusted mountains, perfectly capturing the severe, pastoral setting. The book is explicitly noted as "An Epic," confirming its grand literary scale.

 

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

 

Halldór Kiljan Laxness (1902–1998) was the only Icelandic writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1955), which was awarded for "his vivid epic power". Laxness was born in Reykjavik and began his literary career early, publishing his first novel when he was only seventeen.

His early life was defined by travel to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Canada, and the United States, giving him a broad, international perspective. Laxness's work is a direct descendant of the Icelandic sagas, known for its unique blend of "Celtic melancholy and the beauty of Mr. Laxness's prose throbs through the translation". This novel solidified his reputation as a master chronicler of the individual struggle against immense natural and social forces.

 

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

 

This book was published in 1946, immediately following the end of World War II, a time when Europe was rebuilding and questioning traditional social structures. Laxness's novel, though set earlier, provided a powerful, timely commentary on the nature of mass civilization and individual freedom.

Iceland itself experienced a dramatic shift during the war, becoming a strategic outpost for Allied forces and achieving full independence from Denmark in 1944. The book's themes of a stubborn man resisting the encroachment of "new economics and with the First World War" provided an intellectual framework for understanding the global transition from agrarianism to modern capitalism. This volume is a time capsule that captures the urgent post-war philosophical debates about the price of individual liberty.

 

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

 

This volume is tailored for a Curator of Nobel Prize-Winning World Literature and a Scholar of the Icelandic Sagas. The Ideal Collector seeks the definitive English edition of major European works.

The book belongs in a library focused on 20th-Century Philosophical Fiction and works from the Alfred A. Knopf publishing tradition. The neat Ex Libris bookplate for Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King adds a layer of verifiable, Gilded Age-era American reading history, appealing to collectors who value documented domestic provenance.

 

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

 

This book is an authenticated First American Edition from 1946, making it 79 years old. While identified as a Book Club Edition (BCE) due to the front flap text, its status as the First English Edition (preceding the UK release) secures its bibliographical importance.

The book's value is secured by the presence of the original illustrated dust jacket and the Ex Libris bookplate. The jacket is the non-replicable aesthetic asset. The documented ownership history for Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King provides a strong Ephemera Premium. The price reflects the high content value of a Nobel Prize-winning author's seminal work.

 

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

 

This is an authenticated First American Edition hardcover with the original dust jacket.

  • Positive Qualities:

    • The cloth binding is secure and square.

    • The interior pages are clean and tight, free of marking or foxing.

    • The original dust jacket is present.

    • The Ex Libris bookplate is neat and intact.

  • Imperfections:

    • The dust jacket shows moderate chipping and wear, particularly along the spine ends and edges.

    • The cloth binding shows minor shelf wear and slight fading.

    • The classification as a likely Book Club Edition due to the jacket's front flap text is factored into the deduction.

 

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

 

  • The book's jacket design was created by Philip Grushkin, a famous 20th-century American graphic artist known for his elegant book covers.

  • The publisher used the motto "NON-INFERIOR AQVAM EENTES," meaning "Not inferior to those who follow," to advertise the high quality of Knopf's selection.

  • Laxness was sent to Reykjavik to study the piano at age twelve, but his passion for writing quickly overshadowed his musical ambitions.

  • The Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King" is an example of early 20th-century decorative personal library markers, which are a collectible art form in their own right.

 

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

 

  • Title: Independent People: An Epic

  • Author: Halldór Laxness

  • Year of Publication: 1946

  • Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

  • Place of Origin: New York, Manufactured in the United States of America

  • Format/Binding: Hardcover, Blue Cloth Boards with Original Illustrated Dust Jacket

  • Edition: First American Edition, First Printing (Book Club Edition)

  • Rarity: Moderate Scarcity (BCE of First US Edition), Unique Personal History

  • Verbatim Transcription of Inscription/Marking:

    • Ex Libris Bookplate: “Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King”.

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