Digitized Archive PA 11 John Scott Keltie and Fridtjof Nansen: Correspondence and other documents

In the late 1990s, the University Library of Tromsø (now University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway) bought a set of archival materials from J.W. Cappelens antikvariat in Oslo. Its ownership prior to J.W. Cappelens antikvariat is unknown. The core of the material is a series of autograph letters exchanged between the famous Norwegian explorer, diplomat and scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) and his British associate, fellow and long-serving secretary of the Royal Geographical Society of London John Scott Keltie (1840–1927). Several of the letters are not included in the standard edition of Nansen’s correspondence, edited by Steinar Kjærheim (5 vols., Oslo 1961–78). There are also letters exchanged between Keltie and other correspondents. Furthermore, the material includes newspaper clips, telegrams, a handwritten map, etc., which serve to document the nature of the relationship between the two men. Keltie’s important role in the shaping of Nansen’s image as an explorer of international renown is particularly well documented.