It is formed of two main parts, the first of which is a universal history; the second is a collection of saints' sagas, miracles, exempla and annals for the years 1328–1372.
Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir suggests that "the almost relentless emphasis on brevitas" implies that the work was intended for the schoolroom rather than to be read aloud.
[3] She also suggests that the focus on Old Testament heroines implies that the work was created as a 'woman's book', suitable for the nuns that would be reading it.
[4] Paleographic and codicological evidence suggests that the manuscript was produced in Skagafjörður in northern Iceland around 1360–1380, probably at the Benedictine nunnery at Reynistaðar.
[5] Reynistaðarbók is formed of two sections: a universal history; and a collection of saints' sagas, miracles, exempla and annals.