Introduction

The Swedish title of this exhibit, “Böcker Har Sina Öden,” derives from a famous Latin saying: habent sua fata libelli (‘books have their destinies’), attributed to a grammarian named Terentianus Maurus. The historical books – dating from 1665 to 1836 – chosen for this exhibit have a common origin and common theme, Sweden and Swedish law. They also share a common destiny: to have become parts of the University of Minnesota Law Library’s rare law collection and the context it constitutes, as one of the largest collections of rare and modern Swedish legal literature outside Sweden. All the books on display also have artifactual properties that reveal something of their past: historic, aesthetic or other interesting details, independent of the texts they convey. Thus, the books are treasures by virtue of their local rarity as well as for being specific specimens made unique by the annotations, signatures, bookplates, and other traces left on individual copies by their owners.

The Center's excellent Swedish law collection in part reflects the State of Minnesota's strong ties to Scandinavia. Here it also represents a wonderful way to highlight the longstanding and fruitful exchange program between the University of Minnesota Law School and the Department of Law, Uppsala University, which has facilitated the temporary (and sometimes more permanent) migrations of faculty and students of the two schools since the beginning of the 1980s.

- Professor Eric Bylander
  Distinguished University Professor
  Department of Law, Uppsala University