Biographical Introduction; Theodor Kittelsen's Illustrations; Interpretation and Summary of Contents

The twelfth volume in the series consists of Norsk Høifjeld, a work of prose and poetry written by Theodor Caspari and illustrated by Theodor Kittelsen and several other artists. In the various editions of the work, the aurora borealis figures in Caspari's text as well as in some of Kittelsen's illustrations. The introduction derives from an MA course in Scandinavian literature entitled ‘Dem Polarlicht auf der Spur. Wissenschaftshistorische und kulturwissen­schaftliche Erkundigungen’, given by Marie-Theres Federhofer at Humboldt University Berlin in 2019. The introduction has been written by the student Corinna Hoffmann, the student Lea Meissner, and Per Pippin Aspaas from UiT's University Library. It consists of a brief biographical sketch on Theodor Caspari, an introduction to Theodor Kittelsen's illustrations, and an interpretation and summary of contents of three of the altogether five editions of Norsk Høifjeld that were issued in Theodor Caspari's lifetime.

Norsk Høifjeld [1911]

This is the fourth edition of Norsk Høifjeld, published in Kristiania (Oslo) in 1911 with illustrations by A. Bloch, Th. Holmboe, Th. Kittelsen, Eiv. Nielsen, and Karl Uchermann.

Høifjeld og Fjeldfolk [1927]

This collection, published in Oslo in 1927, includes the fifth edition of Norsk Høifjeld along with other related works by Theodor Caspari. It is richly illustrated, with Th. Kittelsen among the artists.

De Luce Boreali

This is Friedrich Christoph Mayer's first article "De Luce Boreali" (On the Nothern Light), as published in the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae Tomus I ad annum 1726 (printed 1728).

De Luce Boreali

This is Friedrich Christoph Mayer's second article "De Luce Boreali" (On the Nothern Light), as published in the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae Tomus IV ad annum 1729 (printed 1735).

Friedrich Christoph Mayer and his theory of the aurora borealis

The eleventh volume in the series presents two articles on the aurora borealis by Friedrich Christoph Mayer (1697–1729), a mathematician at the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. The first paper, titled “De Luce Boreali” (On the Northern Light), was presented during a session at the newly founded Academy in October 1726. It was printed two years later (1728) in the very first volume of its official periodical, the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae. The second paper, also bearing the title “De Luce Boreali”, constitutes the author’s ‘second thoughts’ on the matter. It was presented during a session in October 1728 but was not printed until after Mayer’s death, in the fifth volume of the Commentarii (1735). Both papers are included in facsimile in this issue of Aurorae Borealis Studia Classica. Eric Chassefière, member of the Histoire des sciences astronomiques team of the SYRTE laboratory at the Observatoire de Paris, has written an introduction to Mayer’s life and works with a special emphasis on his theory of the aurora borealis. In his introduction, Chassefière also recounts how Mayer’s theory was received by other eighteenth-century savants.

Dansk Folkekalender for 1841

This is the entire issue of Dansk Folkekalender 1841, as published by Selskabet for Trykkefrihedens rette Brug [Society for the Proper Use of the Freedom of the Press] in 1840.

Introduction and Summary of Contents

The tenth volume in the series presents a hitherto overlooked item in the oeuvre of the famous discoverer of electromagnetism, Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851). A highly influential figure in cutting-edge science internationally, Ørsted was also active as a populariser of various kinds of academic discoveries and theories within nineteenth-century Denmark. However, no separate publication on the aurora borealis by Ørsted has been known until now. It is in one of the many contemporary collections of miscellanies for the general public – namely, in Dansk Folkekalender for the year 1841 (printed 1840) – that Kira Moss has discovered his unsigned article on “Nordlyset” [The Northern Light]. In her introduction, Moss presents evidence of Ørsted’s authorship, contextualises the place of the northern lights in Denmark in the period known as Romanticism, and presents a detailed summary of his own theory. As a supplement, she provides a complete English translation of Ørsted’s article.

Translation of Ørsted's unsigned article on 'Nordlyset' (1840)

English translation of Ørsted's original article.

Nordlyset

This is the unsigned article 'Nordlyset' (The Northern Light), written by Hans Christian Ørsted, as published in Dansk Folkekalender for the year 1841 (published 1840).