THE STORY OF BURNT NJAL : FROM THE ICELANDIC OF THE NJALS SAGA; With a Prefatory Note by E.V. Lucas, and the Introduction, Abridged, from the Original Edition of 1861

New York: The Baker and Taylor Co, 1900. Hardcover. Very Good. Octavo, 7.75 in. x 5.32 in., pp. xlvi, 333. Illustrated with frontispiece. Teal cloth-covered boards with elaborate framed black heraldic insignia to cover. Light rubbing to extremities. Bottom front corner nudged. Gilt frames and title to spine. Light spotting to half title. Age-toning to pages. Unmarked interior. NOTE: This version is Abridged, emphasizing story over Icelandic history, the coming of Christianity around the Tenth Century, and an analysis of the literary tradition of Saga, which is more extensively included in other editions. This version might be said to be: "Just the facts" Njal's Saga is an Icelandic saga by an unknown author, written down around 1280. The story describes a spiral of feuds and vengeance, leading eventually to the burning of a farmstead at Bergotha in Iceland, which killed the head of the household, Njal, his wife, and a number of his sons...Another characteristic of the narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams.

These two quotes appear in ribbons surrounding crossed weapons on the front board: "But a Short While is Hand Fain of Blow". attributed to a character in this sage, Rannveig, who was Gunnar's mother, "Bare is Back without Brother Behind it"., originally a Norse adage "Bare is the Back of a Brotherless Man", and here, from the Icelandic (Ber er hver á bakinu nema sér bróður eigi)

The major events described in the saga are probably historical but the material was shaped by the author, drawing on oral tradition, according to his artistic needs. Njáls saga is the longest and most highly developed of the sagas of Icelanders. It is often considered the peak of the saga tradition..."