9 h 46 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A lost homeland, wise women, and a family record across centuries: what happens when a manuscript claims an impossible past?
The Oera Linda Book presents itself as the ancient record of the Over de Linden family of Friesland. Its writings describe creation through Wralda, a lost land called Aldland or Atland, and a free people ruled by wise women. These are the manuscript’s claims, not reliable accounts of northern Europe’s past.
Another mystery surrounds the manuscript itself. Cornelis over de Linden says his family has long kept it, and it surfaces in the Netherlands in the 1860s. Scholars question its claims; its Frisian does not match early forms of the language. Read it as a literary curiosity that reveals how people imagine a nation’s origins.
What you’ll discover
- A family across centuries Explore a chronicle that presents many voices as the record of one enduring family.
- Creation according to Wralda Enter the book’s account of creation, where a creator named Wralda shapes its imagined world.
- A homeland beneath mystery Follow the story of Aldland or Atland, a great lost land in the western sea.
- A people led by women Discover the manuscript’s vision of a free people whose rulers are wise women.
- The doubts behind the legend Consider why scholars reject its claims and what its imagined past reveals about national identity.
Who will love it
For readers who love literary mysteries, northern myth, the history of forgeries, and the way nations invent their origins.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A strange manuscript appears in Friesland
- A family chronicle written across the ages
- Wralda, Irtha and the three daughters
- A lost land, floods and wise maidens
- Why scholars reject its claims
- How to read the book today
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 9 h 46 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Il Libro di Oera Linda in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Il Libro di Oera Linda
by Anonimo; J. G. Ottema (traduttore) · 1872
A mysterious Frisian chronicle tells of a lost homeland and a struggle for freedom, while its own origins invite debate.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Oera Linda Book is a text that claims to be the oldest history of the peoples of northern Europe. It presents itself as a family record kept by Frisians, the people of the Dutch and German North Sea coast.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A strange manuscript appears in Friesland
The story of the book begins in the northern Netherlands in the 1860s. A man named Cornelis over de Linden, linked to the town of Den Helder, said that his family had long kept an old manuscript. He claimed it had been handed down through the generations from a distant ancestor. He showed it to scholars, and the case soon drew the attention of people who cared about Frisian history.
The man who took up the work was J. G. Ottema, a Frisian scholar and teacher. He believed the manuscript was a real relic of the early Frisian people. Ottema made a Dutch translation and published it in 1872, with notes and an introduction. He was moved by the idea that Friesland had once been a center of learning and freedom.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Il Libro di Oera Linda
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Oera Linda Book about?
It claims to be an ancient Frisian chronicle. It tells of a creator named Wralda, the mother Irtha, a lost land called Atland, wise maidens who guard the laws, and a long struggle for freedom.
Is the Oera Linda Book real or a hoax?
Most scholars conclude it was written in the nineteenth century, not in ancient times. Language, paper and ink all point to that period. Who made it, and whether as a joke or sincerely, is still debated.
Who found the Oera Linda Book?
It came to public notice in the 1860s through Cornelis over de Linden, who said his family had kept it for generations. J. G. Ottema then translated it into Dutch and published it in 1872.
More by Anonimo; J. G. Ottema (traduttore)
All 37 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
