Across Iceland
With Illustrations and Maps, and an Appendix on the Plants Collected
Cambridge Library Collection - Polar Exploration Series

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 the book 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, this work 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, Kerlingarfjöll; 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.