Eymundsson

Eymundsson is an Icelandic bookstore business with roots extending to 1872, when photographer and bookbinder Sigfús Eymundsson established Bókaverslun Sigfúsar Eymundsson. It is recognized as Iceland's oldest bookstore and has developed from a nineteenth-century bookselling and publishing enterprise into a national retail chain with 15 locations around Iceland. The business serves readers looking for Icelandic books and literature, foreign-language titles, magazines, stationery-related goods and gifts, while several of its stores also incorporate coffeehouse facilities. The brand's origins are closely connected to Sigfús Eymundsson's wider role in Icelandic cultural and commercial life. In 1886, he founded an Eymundsson publishing operation, which subsequently published works by Icelandic poets including Hannes Hafstein and Bólu-Hjálmar. This publishing activity gave the business a role beyond retail: it participated in the production and circulation of Icelandic literary culture at a time when the country's book trade was still developing. Sigfús Eymundsson was also associated with the introduction of several imported products and services to Iceland. Historical accounts credit him with being the first person in Iceland to import typewriters and money safes. He was also the first Icelander to publish and sell postcards, using his own photographs as source material. These activities suggest that the original enterprise was a broader commercial and cultural business rather than a narrowly focused bookstore. A longstanding physical address associated with the brand is Austurstræti 18 in Reykjavík. Eymundsson acquired the property in 1920. The present building on the site dates from 1960, and an Eymundsson store continues to operate at that location, linking the contemporary retailer with its historical central-Reykjavík presence. In its modern form, Eymundsson operates 15 stores across Iceland. Its assortment includes Icelandic literature, books in other languages, magazines and a range of gift products. The company is particularly noted for offering Iceland's largest selection of foreign books and for making Icelandic literature available in English. Store-based coffeehouses broaden the role of some locations from conventional retail outlets into places for reading, meeting and leisure. The available reference material does not identify the current owner, parent company, chief executive, financial performance, listing status or a specific corporate headquarters. It also does not document major campaigns, scandals, lawsuits, acquisitions or other recent corporate events. Accordingly, Eymundsson's documented identity is primarily that of a long-established Icelandic cultural retailer whose distinctive position rests on longevity, national reach, literary breadth and its connection to Iceland's publishing and book culture.

Eymundsson traces its history to 1872, when Sigfús Eymundsson, a photographer and bookbinder, founded Bókaverslun Sigfúsar Eymundsson. The enterprise became one of the foundational businesses in Iceland's modern book trade and eventually gave its founder's surname to a continuing bookstore brand. The original business was not limited to selling books. In 1886, Sigfús established an Eymundsson publishing operation. During the following years, the publishing business issued works by several Icelandic poets, including Hannes Hafstein and Bólu-Hjálmar. Through this activity, the Eymundsson name became associated with both the distribution and production of Icelandic literature. Sigfús Eymundsson also pursued commercial activities outside conventional bookselling. He is credited with being the first importer of typewriters and money safes into Iceland. He was additionally the first Icelander to publish and sell postcards, using photographs he had taken himself. These ventures reflected the broader role of nineteenth-century booksellers as suppliers of printed matter, office equipment, cultural goods and new forms of communication. In 1920, Eymundsson acquired the building at Austurstræti 18 in Reykjavík. The current structure on the site was built in 1960, and an Eymundsson shop remains there. The location therefore represents a continuing association between the business and one of Reykjavík's established central commercial addresses, although the present building is not the nineteenth-century structure occupied by the company. Over time, Eymundsson developed into a multi-location bookstore network. The documented modern business operates 15 stores around Iceland. Its retail offer spans Icelandic books, foreign-language books, magazines and assorted gifts. The company is especially associated with a substantial foreign-book selection and with presenting Icelandic literature in English, serving both local readers and customers seeking Icelandic cultural material in an international language. Many Eymundsson locations also include a coffeehouse. This format extends the brand beyond transactional bookselling and creates a combined retail and hospitality setting. The result is a contemporary bookstore concept that retains the brand's historical literary identity while adding spaces for customers to spend time in the store. The supplied historical and reference material does not establish a complete chronology of later ownership changes, management appointments, financial results or expansion dates. It also does not document major controversies or recent strategic transactions. The best-supported account is therefore one of continuity: a bookstore founded in 1872, shaped in its early period by publishing and related commercial innovation, anchored by a long-standing Reykjavík location and operating in the present as a nationwide Icelandic bookstore chain.

• 1960

  Present Austurstræti building constructed

  [1]Eymundssonen.wikipedia.org

  The current building at Austurstræti 18 was built, replacing the earlier structure on the property while preserving the site's connection with Eymundsson.

• 1920

  Acquisition of Austurstræti 18

  [1]Eymundssonen.wikipedia.org

  Eymundsson acquired the property at Austurstræti 18 in Reykjavík, a site that remains associated with an Eymundsson store.

• 1886

  Eymundsson publishing operation established

  [1]Eymundssonen.wikipedia.org

  Sigfús Eymundsson founded a publishing business that later issued works by Icelandic poets including Hannes Hafstein and Bólu-Hjálmar.

• 1872

  Founding of Bókaverslun Sigfúsar Eymundsson

  [1]Eymundssonen.wikipedia.org

  Sigfús Eymundsson founded the bookstore business that became Eymundsson, establishing one of Iceland's oldest continuing book retailers.

A heritage Icelandic bookstore and cultural retailer positioned around literary breadth, access to foreign books, Icelandic literature, national store coverage and an in-store café experience at selected branches.

• Books

  Icelandic books and literature

  Eymundsson's core assortment includes books by Icelandic authors and works representing Icelandic literary culture. The category reflects the brand's historic connection to local publishing and its role as a national bookseller.

• Books

  Foreign-language books

  The chain is known for a broad selection of books from outside Iceland, including titles serving readers who want literature and other publications in languages other than Icelandic. Reference material describes this as Iceland's largest selection of foreign books.

• Translated literature

  Icelandic literature in English

  Eymundsson offers Icelandic literature in English, making local writing and cultural material more accessible to international visitors, English-speaking residents and readers who do not read Icelandic.

• Periodicals

  Magazines

  Magazines form part of the chain's broader printed-media assortment alongside books. The available sources do not specify individual titles, publishing partners or the precise range carried by each store.

• Gifts

  Gift items

  Eymundsson stores also sell various gift products, extending the offer beyond reading material and supporting the stores' role as general cultural and visitor-oriented retail destinations.

• Hospitality

  Coffeehouse services

  Many Eymundsson storefronts include a coffeehouse. These integrated spaces add a hospitality component to the bookstore format, allowing customers to combine browsing and purchasing with sitting, reading or meeting.

1. 1Eymundssonen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Eymundsson official websiteeymundsson.is