(Icelandic: "Book of the Landtaking"; derived from landnám, "landtaking" + bók, "book")
Icelandic account of the landnám, the colonisation of Iceland from Norway in the 8th-10th century. The Landnámabók deals specifically with the genealogical and property records of the landowning members of the social structure.
The original version, now lost, of the Landnámabók dates from the 12th century. In all probability, it was the work of several authors, including Ari þorgilsson hinn fróði. It was probably organised according to Icelandic geography, with listings moving around the coast clockwise from SE Iceland. However, later versions reorganised the content in an historical/chronological framework.
Five different later recensions of the Landnámabók are known to exist, three of them dating from the middle ages. The Landnámabók is generally considered a more reliable historical source than the Icelandic sagas.