This book studies everyday writing practices among ordinary people in a poor rural society in the 19th and early 20th centuries. " (...) the authors' analysis of the work and lives of five Icelandic scribes enriches understanding of 19th-century literacy, history, and culture in ways that have applications beyond Icelandic studies and could particularly interest scholars of literacy, philology, historiography, bibliography, and more." -M. Anderson, Southern Oregon University