The Arnamagnæan Summer School in Manuscript Studies 2026 was successfully held 15–25 of June in Reykjavík.
The international course, which took place for the 21st time, is a collaboration between the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík, the University of Iceland and the Arnamagnæan Institute at the University of Copenhagen. The location of the summer school alternates between Iceland and Denmark, and the National and University Library of Iceland is also a partner when the course takes place in Reykjavík.
More than eighty students applied for the just over fifty spots that the course can offer. Participants were from all over the world, including Canada, Brazil, China and most countries in Europe. Icelanders and students previously enrolled at University of Iceland were also well represented, enjoying the chance to connect with students and researchers based abroad. The group of teachers was similarly diverse with over twenty specialists from various countries. Many of them travelled specifically to Iceland to give lectures and hold workshops at the summer course.
Students can take the summer school up to three times, and most participate more than once to keep learning about Scandinavian manuscripts. They are divided into three groups according to their previous knowledge and experience: into a basic group, an advanced level and a master class.
Teaching covers various aspects of manuscript studies and book production in the North and reflects latest trends and developments in the field. Among the topics of year’s classes were palaeography and abbreviations, editorial theory, manuscript preservation and paper history, digital encoding of handwritten texts as well as non-invasive pigment analysis.
