Icelandic Primer with Grammar, Notes and Glossary

"Icelandic Primer with Grammar, Notes and Glossary" by Henry Sweet is an instructional book from the 1800's and acts as a guide for people wanting to study Old Icelandic, giving information on its language rules, sounds, and words, as well as important writings from Icelandic history. The book begins by talking about why it was written, pointing out the need for an easy-to-understand guide to Icelandic studies, especially for English-speaking students. Sweet explains his way of dealing with spelling, grammar, and the choice of writings, while also mentioning where he got his ideas. He stresses how important it is to show beginners the basic forms of the language and talks about adding well-known stories and poems to keep students interested. Generally, the start of the book creates a setup for a step-by-step and simple study of the Icelandic language and its literary past.