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DESCRIPTION:
A remarkable survivor from the earliest generations of Norwegian-American religious life!
Offered here is an original 1877 copy of Hjemlandssange (“Songs of the Homeland”), a historic Norwegian-language hymn and song collection compiled and adapted by Reverend Melchior Falk Gjertsen for Norwegian congregations in America.
Printed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by the Conference Publishing Association Press, this compact volume preserves the language, faith, and musical traditions carried by Norwegian immigrants into the American Midwest during the 19th century.
The book contains 231 numbered hymns and songs across 183 pages, printed in beautiful old-style Gothic type. Its original dark blue-green cloth binding features an unusual embossed bird design surrounded by decorative corner ornaments.
An especially appealing feature is the early handwritten ownership inscription of Emelie Myhre, dated 1878—only one year after the book was published. An additional period Norwegian inscription appears below her name, adding genuine historical character and provenance.
BOOK DETAILS:
* Title: Hjemlandssange
* English translation: Songs of the Homeland
* Compiler/editor: M. F. Gjertsen
* Full name: Melchior Falk Gjertsen
* Publication place: Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Publication date: 1877
* Publisher/printer: Konferentsens Forlagsforenings Trykkeri
* Language: Norwegian/Dano-Norwegian
* Binding: Original embossed cloth hardcover
* Length: 183 pages
* Contents: 231 numbered religious hymns and songs
* Approximate size: 5 × 3½ inches
* Early ownership inscription dated 1878
CONDITION:
Complete and in excellent antique condition for a book nearly 150 years old. The original binding remains attractive and intact, with light rubbing, small marks, and minor edge wear consistent with age. The interior pages display expected age toning and occasional foxing. The early handwritten inscriptions are pictured and form an important part of the book’s history.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they are part of the condition description.
This seldom-encountered volume would make an exceptional addition to a collection devoted to Norwegian-American immigration, Scandinavian history, antique hymnals, Lutheran heritage, Minnesota printing, genealogy, or 19th-century religious books.
A beautiful pocket-sized artifact from America’s Norwegian immigrant past—complete, historically evocative, and preserved in outstanding condition for its age.
