A reprint of a classical work in the Cambridge Library Collection.
Although a member of the Royal Geographical Society, and author of a number of books on geography, little is known of William Bisiker. Published in 1902, this is an account of an expedition, led by him, across central Iceland in 1900. The five men and one woman journeyed from the north-east of the country down to the south-west, and Across Iceland also gives accounts of visits to the Faroe Islands and coastal journeys to the fjords. Including maps, photographs and an extensive appendix compiled by expedition member and botanist Arthur William Hill on the island's plant life, Across Iceland remains a detailed and engaging portrait. The impressions made upon the party by natural features such as geysers, quicksand and lava formations are vividly described, as are the visits to isolated settlements and farms. The chapter on Reykjavik covers the political situation in the country, still under Danish rule.
1. The party
2. The Faroes
3. The fjords
4. Across the northern inhabited fringe
5. The interior, to Hveravellir
6. The interior, Strytur and its lava
7. The interior, Kerlingarfjoll
8. The interior, Hvitarvatn and Gullfoss
9. Geysir and Thingvellir
10. The capital, Reykjavik
11. In the west, to Reykholt
12. Barnafoss and the Surtshellir caves
13. Gilsbakki to Statharhraun
14. To Eldborg and Helgafell
15. Stykkisholm and Berserkjahraun
16. The north-west peninsula
17. The northern fjords
18. Across country from Akureyri to Husavik
19. The eastern fjords
Appendices
Index of places