Commentary on the Establishment of a Printing Press in Iceland, Copenhagen (1688)

The rescript of 1688 granted the bishop and superintendent Theodorus Thorlacius (Latinised form of Þórður Þorláksson) permission to print Norwegian and Icelandic historical and antiquarian works, demonstrating the growing interest in Old Norse culture in the Scandinavian countries in the seventeenth century. The printing of Icelandic histories illustrates not only the growth and importance of printing, but also of the central role of the Church. In terms of copyright history, the license shows that the concept of authorship was of no importance in the policy of Denmark-Norway regarding the privileges and permissions that were granted to printers and their heirs.