The Centre for Business History started working with mining giant LKAB in 2013, when we were asked to map and recommend actions for LKAB’s corporate archive in Kiruna. The initial result was an archive map – and then a coffee table book for LKAB’s 125th anniversary.
LKAB’s historical material in Kiruna was unsorted and spread out when the archivists from the Centre for Business History first came there. It was, however, a unique collection of materials that had been left more or less undisturbed. In all, an invaluable source both for local historians and for the history about how Sweden got rich.
In time for their 125th anniversary in 2015, LKAB also wanted to present their history in the form of a coffee-table book. We were chosen to produce this “Bible of LKAB” as it was referred to internally. It should contain everything worth knowing about LKAB from its beginning until today. In close cooperation with LKAB we produced “The Book about LKAB – A Swedish National Treasure”.
The Book about LKAB is a true riktig “coffee table”-bok, measuring 250 pages and 300 images from the corporate archives. Karin Jansson Myhr from the Centrum för Näringslivshistoria served as editor, and also wrote together with a number of external researchers. Together they told the story about one of the oldest and most succesful industrial enterprises in Swedish business history, from the first excavations in the 1600s via the company’s foundation in 1890 until today.
The book was designed by Johan Sandell at communication agency Someguys.
