The Little Book of the Icelanders: 50 Miniature Essays on the Quirks and Foibles of the Icelandic People

After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012.

Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders are the appalling driving habits of the Icelanders, naming conventions and customs, the Icelanders’ profound fear of commitment, the irreverence of the Icelanders, why Icelandic women are really men, how the Icelanders manage to make social interactions really complicated, the importance of the family in Icelandic society, where to go to meet the real Icelanders (and possibly score some free financial advice), rituals associated with weddings, confirmations, graduations, and deaths, and many, many more!

Praise for the book:

One chapter leads to the next, creating a continuous chain of storytelling. It feels as if you’re sitting in the author’s kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversing with her about the quirks of her countrymen, every now and then, bursting out laughing. [I’m] going to heartily recommend The Little Book of the Icelanders , both to fans of Sigmundsdóttir’s blog and those unfamiliar with her work. ( Iceland Review Online )

There aren’t many books I’d recommend reading over morning coffee, but The Little Book of the Iceanders is one of them. [I] laughed at the essays in this book, not because I was laughing at Icelanders but because I recognize much of the behaviour in myself and members of my family. It felt good. It’s not just the sanest, most impressive characteristics that we pass on and share but also some of the zaniest. As I read this book, I frequently thought, yup, I’m definitely part Icelandic. ( Lögberg-Heimskringla , Canada)