Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

the Arne Portman collection was purchased. It comprises
books by and about Hans Christian Andersen, including
some directly connected with the writer, manuscripts,
papercuts, letters and music.
The Hans Christian Andersen collections comprise the
largest accumulation of his manuscripts in the world,
forming the essential resource for the research and the
critical editions of his writings. Of the fairy tales alone,
the collection contains 216 manuscripts and manuscript
fragments relating to around 150 stories. The collection
reflects the aesthetic and social way of life of the author
and his time and the contemporary importance of his
writings in Denmark and in the rest of Europe.
About 60 per cent of the manuscripts and letters need
continuous conservation and minor repair, but the
collection has never been exposed to serious damage.
The manuscripts are kept in safe-deposit stacks, with
controlled temperature and humidity. Use of the material
from the collections is only allowed in secured readingroom
areas.
� Hans Christian Andersen, photographed in 1865
� An illustration by Helen Stratton from the story Elfin Mount
in a book of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales published
around 1930.
Manuscripts and correspondence of Hans Christian Andersen 343