Diaries reveal 1858 search for the great auk
Sunday 15th November 2026 on 10:01 in
Iceland
Diaries kept by British naturalist John Wolley during an 1858 trip to Iceland have been published in book form, mbl.is reports. Wolley travelled to find the great auk, but the search was unsuccessful.
Icelandic scholars Gísli Pálsson and Már Jónsson edited the book, titled John Wolley’s Garefowl Books: The Aukward Birth of Anthropogenic Extinction. It was published by Pelagic in the UK.
Wolley travelled with fellow British naturalist Alfred Newton. Two great auks had been killed on Eldey in 1844, but the naturalists believed more might still be found. They spent nearly three months in Kirkjuvogur and its surroundings, where the settlement of Hafnir now stands, speaking with local people about the bird.
Wolley recorded their conversations in diaries. The manuscripts also contain drawings of Eldey from different angles, sketches of birds, letters to other naturalists, notes and family trees of people he interviewed. The naturalists stayed with Vilhjálmur Hákonarson in Kirkjuvogur, who knew the area well. About 20 men were available to sail to Eldey if conditions allowed, Már said. The priest at Útskálar and others also helped the visitors.
“The result was a remarkable collection of source material, raw records that are not only about the great auk, but also about the history of Suðurnes in the 19th century,” Már said.
Gísli had learned about the diaries while working on his 2020 book The Bird That Could Not Fly, and other writers had referred to them. He travelled to Cambridge, where the diaries are held at the university library, and began transcribing them as they appear in the manuscripts. Már joined the project soon afterwards.
Már said he hopes the book will spark interest and discussion. The great auk attracts attention around the world and remains a symbol of nature damage caused by humans, he said. The editors hope the book will be useful to researchers and enjoyable for general readers.
The book and an interview with Már are featured in Morgunblaðið’s Sunday edition.