Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. W. A. Craigie's book The Icelandic Sagas was first published in 1913. It offers a critical examination of the origins, characteristics and types of sagas, while also considering the circumstances that fostered such an outpouring of literature in Iceland during the Middle Ages.