I. A. Blackwell
(1789–1886)

19th century British writer; possibly a pseudonym; credited with the 1847 work Northern Antiquities, which includes a translation of the Prose Edda based on an 18th-century Icelandic to French abridged translation of Paul Henri Mallet that had been translated from French to English by Bishop Percy, and various historical musings. His identity is unclear, but Sigrún Pálsdóttir argued in 2006 that he was Joseph Andrew Blackwell, an English aristocrat, who used an I rather than a J as his initial for authorship. His work was sharply criticized for being based on outdated 18th-century works that did not include 19th-century scholarship, such as improved Old Norse critical editions.

Works edit

  • Northern Antiquities: Or, An Historical Account of the Manners, Customs, Religion and Laws, Maritime Expeditions and Discoveries, Language and Literature of the Ancient Scandinavians (1847) (Google Books PDF of an 1887 edition)
  • The Elder Edda and the Younger Edda (1907), which includes just the translation of the Prose Edda from Northern Antiquities stripped of its prefaces, footnotes, and explanatory material


 

Some or all works by this author were published before January 1, 1929, and are in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Translations or editions published later may be copyrighted. Posthumous works may be copyrighted based on how long they have been published in certain countries and areas.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse