Scandinavian General Reference Resources
Please direct all comments or requests for information to Paula Carns at the Literatures
& Languages Library
(217-333-0076) •
pcarns@illinois.edu
Biographical directories
Scandinavia
Scandinavian Biographical Archive. London ; New York:
K.G. Saur, c1989.
MFICHE 920.048 Sca63 (Main Reference)
- Microfiche set. Divided into section A, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway and B. Finland and Sweden.
Excludes some of the major biographical dictionaries but brings together many smaller and more
obscure sources.
Scandinavian Biographical Index. London; New Jersey:
K.G. Saur, 1994. 4 v.
Q.920.048 Sca63 apx (Oak St. Facility)
- Index to Scandinavian Biographical Archive in one alphabetical index. Gives dates and a brief
identification of each person included.
Denmark
Twentieth-century Danish writers. Dictionary of
Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1999.
Q. 839.8109 T918 (Main Reference)
Also available online through
Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete
- Biographies of some of the most prominent Danish writers - both nationally and internationally
- with special attention to their literary development.
Dansk Biografisk Haandleksikon. København: Gyldendal,
1920. 20 pts. in 2 v.
920.0489 D234 (Main Stacks)
- Includes brief biographical entries.
Cedergreen Bech, Svend, ed.
Dansk biografisk leksikon. 3. udg. København: Gyldendal,
1979-1984. 16 v.
920.0489 D2341 1979 (Main Reference)
- Thorough biographies of figures from the earliest times to the 1980s. Comprehensive name index
(including references to articles only in earlier editions) and chronological index.
Kraks
Blå Bog. Virum: Krak.
920.0489 K858 (latest vol. in Main Reference; previous vols. in Oak St. Facility)
- Current biography for Denmark.
Iceland
Pall Eggert Olason.
Islenzkar Æviskrar fra Landnamstimum
til Arsloka 1940. Reykjavik: Islenzka Bokmenntafelag, 1948-1952. 5 v.
920.0491Ol1 (Oak St. Facility)
- National biographical dictionary of Iceland to 1940. Biographies are listed under forename in
the Icelandic style.
Norway
Norsk Biografisk Leksikon. Kristiania: E. Bull, 1921-1983. 19
v.
920.0481N81 (Main Reference)
- Substantial, signed articles on ca. 5,000 prominent Norwegians from the earliest times to the
mid-twentieth century. Includes bibliographies. Later volumes published: Oslo: Aschehoug.
Sweden
Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon. Stockholm: Bonnier,
1918-present.
920.0485Sv2 1918 (Main Reference)
- Includes long signed articles, bibliographies, and many portraits. Vol. 10 includes a
chronological index to the first ten volumes.
Vem är
det? Svensk biografisk handbok. Stockholm: Norstedt. 1912-2001.
920.485 V54 (Oak St. Facility)
- Current biography for Sweden.
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Encyclopedias
Danish
Nordisk Konversationsleksikon. 1960-1969. København:
1960-1969. 10 v.
038 N7582 (Main Stacks)
- Chiefly short entries, many illustrated with line drawings or photographs. Articles on
countries and scientific fields are longer.
Salmonsens Konversations Leksikon. 2. udg. København:
Schultz, 1915-1930. 26 v.
038 Sa35 (Oak St. Facility)
- Still the standard Danish encyclopedia. Includes bibliographies, maps, city plans,
illustrations.
Norwegian
038.82 As23 (Main Reference Encyclopedia Case)
Aschehoug og Gyldendals Store Norske
Leksikon. Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget, 1978-1981. 12 v.
- Well illustrated modern Norwegian encyclopedia.
Swedish
Bonniers Lexikon. Stockholm : Bonniers, 1993-1997. 24 v.
038 B644 1991 (Main Reference)
- A new general encyclopedia with many colored illustrations. The set also includes a dictionary
and atlas.
Svensk Uppslagsbok. 2. uppl. Malmö: Förlagshuset Norden, 1947-1955.
32 v.
038 Sv25 1947 (Oak St. Facility)
- Balay considers this to be an excellent modern encyclopedia, attractively printed with many
illustrations.
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Quotation indexes
Danish
Vogel-Jørgensen, T.
Bevingede ord: 10,000 meget anvendte litterære citater, historiske vendinger,
sprog-klicheer, talemåder, slagord. København: Gad, 1955.
808.8 V86B 1955 (Oak St. Facility)
- Based on Georg Büchmann's Geflügelte Worte. Includes author index.
Norwegian
Evensbeyet, Snorre.
Bevingede ord: Nær 8000 litterære sitater, historiske ytringer,
ordtak og talemåter, sentenser og fyndord. Oslo: Gyldendal Norsk, 1967.
808.8 Ev23b (Oak St. Facility)
- A reworking of Vogel-Jørgensen's Danish collection. Quotations are usually listed under the
first word in the original languages, then in Norwegian translation. No author index.
Norsk Sitatleksikon: 6000 bevingede ord. 2. utg. Stavanger:
Stabenfeldt, 1955.
808.88 N81 1955 (Oak St. Facility)
- Quotations in Norwegian and other languages (given in Norwegian followed by the original form).
Arranged alphabetically by catchword subject.
Swedish
Holm, Pelle.
Bevingade ord: den klassiska citatboken.
Stockholm: Bonnier, 1989.
088.7 H73b 1989 (Main Reference)
- Quotation dictionary in Swedish. Includes references from the original languages (Latin,
German, English) to the Swedish forms.
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Online Resources
Sweden.se
- Sweden's official website. Provides information about Sweden in English as well as other
languages.
Sweden Abroad
- Site by the Consulate General of Sweden. Lots of information on Sweden and Swedish-American
organizations, including a monthly listing of Swedish events and visitors in the U.S.
Statistics Sweden
- Provides numerous statistics on many different subjects, including business, eduation, energy,
environment, culture, labor market, etc.
Project Runeberg
- Project Runeberg is a volunteer effort to create free electronic editions of classic Nordic
(Scandinavian) literature and make them openly available over the Internet.
WESS - Scandinavian Studies Web
- The Scandinavian Studies Web provides access to scholarly resources in Scandinavian Studies.
The resources have been selected and evaluated by academic librarians on the basis of their
research value to scholars.
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