The Book of Our Country

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The Book of Our Country
by Zacharias Topelius, translated by Päivikki Lindqvist

The Book of Our Country (in Swedish Boken om Vårt Land, in Finnish Maamme kirja) by the Swedish-speaking Finnish author and journalist Zacharias Topelius was published in 1875, intended as a reading book in Finnish folk school. The book describes Finland's landscape, nature, people and history. It was also translated into Finnish and used in schools in the first half of 1900s and contributed to the building of a national identity. In 1907 it had been sold in 240,000 copies and became one of the publishers (Edlund) most successful titles.

Contents[edit]

First reading. Country.[edit]

1. Morning song
2. Home
3. Fatherland
4. Your country
5. The King's Gifts
6. At the moment of danger
7. Country and people
8. Our country and the world
9. Seaman's homesickness
10. The beginning of our country
11. Mermaid
12. Baltic Sea
13. Åland's song
14. Finland's heights and valleys
15. Provinces
16. Lapland's mountains
17. Inarinjärvi
18. Luppiovaara and Aavasaksa
19. Oulunjoki
20. Kallan-kari
21. Isokyrö
22. The coast of Satakunta
23. Life in Åland
24. Landslides in Uskela
25. Kuustö ruiner
26. Hanko lighthouse
27. Pyynikki, Nokia rapids and Kyröskoski
28. Paikkari croft
29. Finnish wilderness
30. Päijänne watercourse
31. Saima
32. Punkaharju
33. Imatra
34. A nature-revolution
35. Ladoga
36. About Finland's climate
37. On blank ice
38. Summer night's clarity
39. Swan
40. About predicting the weather
41. Granite quarry in Pyterlahti
42. Ruskeala marble quarry
43. Finland's iron
44. Lapland's gold
45. About the extent of the plants
46. Forest
47. Wildfire
48. About fields and meadows
49. A frost night
50. Patience and forsaking
51. About edible fungi
52. About gardens and herb gardens
53. Friends and enemies
54. The Finnish horse
55. Livestock
56. Finnish shepherd songs

Second reading. The people.[edit]

57. About Mattias Castrén
58. About the Finnish people
59. About Permians
60. Tschudian folk songs
61. About Lapps
62. Lapp's reindeer
63. Lapp's fairy tales
64. Päiviö family
65. Lapp folk songs
66. The song of the Lappish boy
67. About Estonians
68. Estonian's Kalevipoeg
69. Estonian folk songs
70. About people of Finland
71. Matti
72. About Finnish language
73. Lippo and Tapio
74. Fox and hare
75. People's stories of giants
76. Meetings with giants
77. Play stories
78. Finnish folklore
79. Finnish folk songs
80. Finnish proverbs
81. Finnish riddles
82. Folk belief and superstition
83. About Karelians
84. About Savonians
85. Two poets
86. About Tavastians
87. Marksman Mårten Kitunen
88. About Finland's Swedish population
89. About Swedish language
90. Archipelago residents in south-west Finland
91. Nylanningars
92. Ostrobothnians
93. Russians in Finland
94. About others who have moved to Finland

Third reading. Pagan gods and hero tales.[edit]

95. About gods of pagan Finns
96. About Kalevala and Elias Lönnrot
97. Creation of the world
98. Beginning of agriculture
99. Origin of fire
100. Origin of iron
101. Väinämöinen and Joukahainen
102. Väinämöinen's first trip to the North
103. Ilmarinen forges Sampo
104. Lemminkäinen's adventures
105. Lemminkäinen's death
106. Väinämöinen in Underworld
107. Ilmarinen wins Pohjola's maiden
108. Tale of Kullervo
109. The battle about Sampo
110. Väinämöinen's song
111. The battle of the light
112. Väinämöinen and Jesus Child

Fourth reading. Stories from the Catholic era of Finland.[edit]

113. People of the Stone Age
114. Finns during the time of paganism
115. About the Swedes
116. About King Erik the Holy
117. First crusade to Finland
118. King Erik and Bishop Henrik
119. Bishop Henrik's death
120. About Bishop Tomas
121. Tavastland is christened
122. Karelians are baptized
123. About the beginning of the Russian empire
124. Matti Kurki and Birkarlians
125. How the wilderness was built
126. About Bishop Hemming
127. Kalmar Union
128. About Bishop Magnus Tavast
129. About the Catholic doctrine
130. About Turku Cathedral
131. About the monastery of Naantali
132. Finland's four classes
133. About Viborg's bang
134. About Kristian tyrann
135. About Gustav Vasa
136. Junker Tomas and Erik Fleming
137. Bishop Arvid Kurki

Fifth reading. Stories from Finland's war era.[edit]

138. About Luther's Reformation
139. King Gustav's government
140. Bishop Mikael Agricola
141. Duke Johan of Finland
142. King Erik and the Finns
143. About Karin Månsdotter
144. Pontus Delagardie and his time
145. Klas Fleming and Club War
146. Hertig Karl and Arvid Stålarm
147. About Johan Fleming
148. About King Karl IX
149. About Sigfrid Forsius
150. About King Gustav Adolf
151. Battle of Breitenfeld
152. The Finns of Würtzburg
153. Crossing river Lech
154. Battle of Lützen
155. Queen Kristina
156. Count's time and the Academy of Turku
157. Karl X Gustav and Arvid Wittenberg
158. King Karl XI's time
159. The Great Famine
160. Charles twelfth and the Battle of Narva
161. Tour to Pultava
162. Vyborg conquest
163. Battle of Isokyrö
164. Kajaani Castle and kivekkäät
165. Stefan Löving's adventures
166. Great Northern War time
167. Karl XII's memory

Sixth reading. Stories from Finland's recent era.[edit]

168. Uusikaupunki Peace and time of freedom
169. Arvid Horn
170. Battle of Lappeenranta
171. Era of benefit
172. King Gustav III
173. Anjala alliance
174. Battle of Porrassalmi
175. The death of King Gustav
176. Gustav Mauritz Armfelt
177. Henrik Gabriel Porthan
178. Frans Mikael Franzén
180. About war of 1808
181. Treaty of Hamina
182. The Tales of Ensign Stål
183. Soldier boy
184. Emperor Alexander I and Porvoo parliament
185. Finland reunited again
186. Turku fire
187. University jubilee in 1840
188. The scientific research
189. Emperor Nikiolai and the war against seamen
190. Emperor Alexander II and Helsinki Parliament Act 1863
191. About our country's constitution
192. About the country's cities and capital
193. Society and government
194. Connections and traffic
195. Progress in prosperity
196. Church and school
197. Poets and artists
198. Suonio's psalm
199. Returning home from school
200. Fatherland's psalm

Reference: Topelius, Zacharias 1876: Boken om Vårt Land: läsebok för de lägsta läroverken i Finland. G. W. Edlund, Helsinki, Finland.

 This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1928, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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