5. Hans Christian Andersen's Fairytales 'unique cultural heritage' in poor packaging

In the centenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth, 18. June 1905, the zoologist Jonas Collin (the younger) transferred the proprietary right to his own and his father's manuscript collection to The Royal Library. The donor's grandfather Jonas Collin (the elder) who was a well-known civil servant under Frederik VI, had through a long life and due to great personal enthusiasm offered advice and support to the majority of the authors of his time. But it was his son Edvard Collin, who was also a centrally placed civil servant in the Ministry of Finance, who started a systematic collection of original manuscripts by Danish and Norwegian authors.

The Collin Manuscript Collection has not been created through purchases, but entirely through donations from authors, printers and publishers. After the death of Edvard Collin, the collecting work was carried on with great energy and also extended by his son Jonas Collin. About 500 authors are represented in the collection. First and foremost Hans Christian Andersen with 48 files. The collection is unique in size and importance, and since 1905 the Department of Manuscripts has placed great emphasis on carrying on the Collin project by collecting archives and manuscripts from new generations of Danish authors.

The Hans Christian Andersen fairytale manuscripts that are very often exhibited or photographed are particularly in need of complete and modern repackaging. The present folders are made of acidiferous cardboard, and the sheets of manuscript that have been in contact with these are visibly damaged. Moreover, the joints to which the individual sheets are fastened have over the years become very stiff, and the author's closely written sheets, which are often of very poor paper quality, are threatening to break when one flips through the folder.