Mishloach rare books Manot

Mishloach Manot Judaica - Spring 2019

32 Saint George Street London W1S 2EA +44 20 7493 0876 [email protected] www.shapero.com Contents

Purim 1-7

Passover 8-17

Traditions, Religion and Education 18-31

Kabbalah, and Prayer Books 32-40

Zionism 41-47

Art and Secular Books 48-55

Mishloach Manot is the name of the Jewish tradition of bringing gifts of food and drink to friends, relatives and neighbours during the celebration of . The custom derives from the Biblical Book of and is intended to ensure that everyone has enough food for the Purim feast as well as promoting love and friendship among and their neighbours. As the Jewish spring holidays approach, we, at Shapero Rare Books, would like to offer up a feast of bibliographic delights - food for thought.

Wishing you all happy spring holidays! Purim

The (Megillat Esther, also often referred to as The ) is part of the Ketuvim (Writings), the third section of the Hebrew . It tells the story of a Jewish girl named Esther who became queen of Persia and thwarted a plan by the evil vizier to commit genocide against her people. The book is the basis and an integral part of the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Its full text is read aloud twice during the holiday celebration, in the evening and again the following morning. Besides the Song of Songs, it is the only book in the Bible that does not explicitly mention God.

‘Since the Talmudic period it has been customary to write the Book of Esther on parchment in the form of a scroll, and the rules governing its production and writing are basically the same as those for a traditional Torah scroll. It is not known when and under what circumstances artistic embellishment of Esther scrolls began. The earliest extant illuminated examples emanate from 16th-century Italy, commissioned by well-to-do Italian Jews.’ Item 5 (Encyclopaedia Judaica) 1. [Megillat Esther]. Illuminated scroll on parchment, 3 spliced sheets, 25.5 x 202.7 cm, [Illuminated Esther Scroll, untitled]. text divided into 11 parshiyot of 28 lines each and a compartment Central Italy, early 19th century. dedicated to the schematic drawing of the hanging of Haman’s Italian Esther scroll, beautifully illuminated in colour. The 10 sons, hand-coloured decorations, possibly later, some wear decoration is composed of colourful ornamental borders on and loss of colour, small tears, repairs to verso of first sheet. an ochre-yellow background: upper border with intertwining green branches, lower border with a white vine-stem £12,500 [ref: 91530] and crowns, large flowers and medallions depicting the zodiac signs in the columns that separate the compartments.

4 Shapero Rare Books 2. [Megillat Esther]. [Esther Scroll housed in a gilt silver decorative case, untitled]. Balkan, 19th century.

Esther scroll housed in an elaborately decorated gilt case. Original manuscript on vellum, text arranged in 15 lines, in Hebrew Sephardic Script. A red bead decorating the top of the case. Scroll on parchment, housed in a silver gilt case (unstamped), scroll height 7cm, case height 19 cm. £13,000 [ref: 98168]

Shapero Rare Books 5 3. [Megillat Esther]. [Esther Scroll housed in a silver decorative case, untitled]. Balkan, early 19th century.

The book of Esther is known as the only Bible book, besides the Song of Songs, that does not explicitly mention God. In this Megillah it seems that the sofer (the Jewish scribe of religious writings) was determined to show that the name of God does appear in the text, thus he accented in bold various letters from the text, which combined will read as various names of God. The scribe has also added small pointing hand symbols to the first column, to guide the reader to finding the ‘hidden message’. Manuscript on vellum, text arranged in 19 lines, in Hebrew Sephardic Script, some staining to parchment; housed in an elaborately decorated silver case (unstamped), cast, hammered and engraved with floral decorations and geometric patterns, an attractive multi-layered flower (possibly depicting a fig tree flower) adorns the top, scroll height 15 cm, case height 34.5 cm. £9,500 [ref: 97796]

6 Shapero Rare Books 4. [Megillat Esther]. [Esther Scroll housed in a silver decorative case, untitled]. Jerusalem, Bezalel, circa 1920.

A beautiful example of a Megillah housed in a silver case, with elaborate filigree, surmounted by a crown. The Bezalel School was founded in 1906 in Jerusalem by the artist and professor Boris Schatz and was the first art school to be established in the Holy Land in the 20th century. The establishment of Bezalel was initiated by Schatz, who discussed his vision of opening an art school in the Land of with Herzl when the two met in in 1903. Schatz chose to call the school Bezalel after the biblical artist Bezalel ben Uri ben Hur, mentioned in the book of Exodus as the artist chosen by God to build the Tabernacle (HaMishkan in Hebrew). According to the scripture, this artist worked in silver, gold, copper, stone and wood. By founding the school Schatz aimed to establish a national style of art, blending classical Jewish, European and its oldest higher education institution. Middle-Eastern traditions. In addition The art created by Bezalel’s students to traditional sculpture and painting and professors in the first decades of training, the school ran craft workshops the 20th century is considered the that produced decorative objects in stepping stone for Israeli visual arts. silver, leather, wood, brass and fabric, Original manuscript on vellum, text which were sold at exhibitions in arranged on 20 lines in Hebrew Europe and the . Schatz’s script, scroll housed in an elaborately school was closed in 1929 and then decorated silver filigree case (unstamped), reopened in the mid-1930s as the New engraved with ‘Bezalel Jerusalem’ Bezalel. In 1955 the school received its signature, in Hebrew, scroll height official academic acclaim and today the 6.5 cm, case height 18 cm. Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel’s national school of art, as well as £6,500 [ref: 98854]

Shapero Rare Books 7 5. SZYK, Arthur. Le Livre D’Esther. [The Book of Esther]. Paris, H. Piazza, 1926.

Illuminated Book of Esther, with magnificent calligraphy and illustrations by Szyk. (1894-1951) was a graphic artist, book illustrator, stage designer and caricaturist. He was born into a Jewish family in Lodz, in the part of that was under Russian rule in the 19th century. He always regarded himself both as a Pole and a Jew. From 1921, he lived and worked mainly in France and Poland; then in 1937 moved to the United Kingdom. In 1940 Szyk settled permanently in the United States and was granted citizenship in 1948. Szyk is best known for his political drawings, namely of Hitler during his rise to power, as well as for his , which can be found in the ‘Passover’ section of this catalogue. He illustrated the Book of Esther twice; first in 1925 and secondly in 1950. In this early interpretation of the story, Szyk uses many decorative elements from Near Eastern art and architecture, most notably winged Assyrian guardians. Second edition, number 42 or 175; 8vo, (23.2 x 16.5 cm); text in Hebrew and French, 19 colour plates with an additional suite of plates in black and white loosely inserted; fine, publisher’s gilt-tooled stiff wrappers, gilt lettering, edges slightly rubbed; 62, [2] pp. £1,250 [ref: 98408]

8 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 9 6. [Megillat Esther]. 7. [Megillat Esther]. [Esther Scroll in carved olive wood case, untitled]. [Esther Scroll housed in a wooden case, untitled]. Jerusalem, circa 1900. Jerusalem, early 20th century.

Esther scroll housed in a beautiful olive wood case. The Esther scroll housed in a beautifully carved wooden case bears carved typical Jerusalem houses, trees and case, depicting the wall of Jerusalem. hand-painted ornaments. Scroll on parchment, 7 conjoined sheets, manuscript on Manuscript on vellum, text arranged in 14 lines, in Hebrew vellum, text arranged in 14 lines, in Hebrew Ashkenzaic Sephardic Script; housed in an elaborately carved olive (Beit Yosef) Script; housed in carved and painted wood wood case, scroll height 12.5 cm, case height 36 cm. case, scroll height 10 cm, case height 35 cm. £3,000 [ref: 95318] £2,250 [ref: 97785]

10 Shapero Rare Books Passover

The Passover Haggadah is a collection of prayers and tales recounting the Jewish Exodus from Egypt, written to accompany the - the ritual meal eaten on the first eve of the Passover festival (many Diaspora communities also hold a Seder on the second eve of the week-long festival). The ritual meal was formalised during the second century CE, after the example of the Greek Symposium, in which philosophical debate was fortified by food and wine. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word haggadah is ‘narration’ or ‘telling’. It refers to the command in the Biblical book of Exodus, requiring any Jew to ‘tell your son on that day: it is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt’. The literal meaning of the word seder is ‘order’ - referring to the specific order set by the Haggadah, in which the ritual foods of the Seder should be consumed, accompanied by the appropriate prayers.

Perhaps because the Haggadah was mainly intended for home use and its purpose was Item 8 educational, it came to be the most lavishly decorated and the most illustrated of all Jewish sacred texts. In the middle ages wealthy Jews would commission magnificent Haggadot, demonstrating their wealth and good taste, as well as their piety.

Shapero Rare Books 11 a landmark of modern Judaica 8. SZYK, Arthur (illustrator); ROTH, Cecil (editor). in London in late 1940 (and not 1939, which is the date of The Haggadah. Szyk’s opening words; see Roth); the artist dedicated it to King London, Beaconsfield Press, 1939. George VI. The work was widely acclaimed by critics; according

to , it was ‘worthy to be placed among the most A superb example of the deluxe edition, limited to 250 copies beautiful of books that the hand of man has ever produced’. and signed by both Szyk and Roth. Provenance: This copy additionally inscribed by Szyk to friends ‘The book is a masterpiece, one that should increase the Minnie and William Salzman ‘whom I love so much’ from New happiness of every one of its possessors, who will find new Canaan, [Ct.], 1950. interest and new delight every time he opens its pages’ One of 125 copies signed by Szyk and Roth (number 22); large (The Jewish Chronicle). 4to, (28.8 x 25 cm); text in Hebrew and English, printed on vellum Arthur Szyk, a Polish Jew, produced works characterised in on one side only, in variously coloured inks, 114 printed pages their material content by social and political commitment with 48 in full colour; 14 full-page and numerous smaller colour and in their formal aspect by the rejection of , half-tone reproductions of Szyk’s drawings including decorative drawing on the traditions of medieval and renaissance painting, initials, vignettes and border decorations; publisher’s blue Levant especially illuminated manuscripts from those periods. Unlike , sewn on laced-in-cords, by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, upper most caricaturists, Szyk always showed great attention to cover tooled with image of a Hebrew prophet after Szyk, spine gilt in compartments, gilt lettered in two, turn-ins gilt, silk doublures the colour effects and details in his works. Szyk’s drawings printed with a monochromatic illustration of Moses supporting and paintings became even more politically engaged when the Ten Commandments, original solander box recovered but Hitler took power in Germany in 1933. Szyk started drawing retaining spine, front panel and velvet linings. Führer’s as early as 1933. Probably, the first work of the artist directed against the leader of the Third Reich was C. Roth, ‘A Bibliographical Note on Szyk Haggadah’ in Studies in a drawing of Hitler, made in pencil, in which he was shown Bibliography and Booklore, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1969, p. 50 (‘Avignonese’). as a new pharaoh. These drawings anticipated the present £37,500 [ref: 96316] great series of Szyk’s art – The Haggadah, his magnum opus. Szyk illustrated it in 48 drawings in the years 1932-1938, and following the development of the political climate in Germany at that time made him introduce some contemporary elements to it. These referred to, in particular, the parable of the four sons, in which the ‘wicked son’ was portrayed as a man wearing German clothes, with a Hitler-like moustache. The expression of the series was even stronger in its original (axed) version: the drawings showed snakes with swastikas, and there were also heads of Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels. In 1937, Arthur Szyk went to London to supervise the publication of his Haggadah. However, the artist had to agree to many compromises during the process, which lasted three years, including painting over of all swastikas. It is not clear whether he did it as a result of the pressure by his publisher or the British politicians, who pursued the policy of in relation to Germany. Finally, The Haggadah was published

12 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 13 9. SHERWIN, Byron L. & UNGAR, Irvin (editors). Freedom Illuminated: Understanding the Szyk Haggadah. Burlingame, California, Historicana, 2008.

The groundwork for full appreciation of Arthur Szyk’s masterwork, the book offers three original scholarly essays: Tom Freudenheim examines Arthur Szyk as an artist; Shalom Sabar explores the history of illustrated Passover Haggadot and analyses the symbolism of each painted miniature; and provides a history of The Szyk Haggadah itself. Originally published as the Companion Volume to the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah. First edition, one of four hundred numbered copies; folio, full colour illustrations throughout, publisher’s red linen cloth boards, gilt lettering, housed in matching slipcase; we have red cloth copies #121 and #123-131 (10 copies in total); 248 pp.

£120 [ref: 95317]

Item 8

14 Shapero Rare Books the first printed commentary on the Passover Haggadah 10. ABARBANEL, Isaac ben Judah (Don Isaac Abravanel). First edition; (27 x 19.5 cm); inscription in Hebrew in old purple Zevach Pesach. [The Passover Sacrifice]. ink to the margin of one leaf, minor warming and small marginal Constantinople, David and Samuel ibn Nahmias, 1505. tears to some leaves, faded stamp and ink stains to title. Vellum-backed parchment modern binding, housed in a red cloth The work contains passages from the Haggadah accompanied chemise and a morocco-backed slipcase; 40 ll. by commentary. The essence of the work is 100 questions and answers about Leil HaSeder (the Passover Seder night). Some Vinograd, Constantinople 3; Ya’ari, Constantinople 3; Mehlman of the questions were left unanswered. 1189; Yudlov, Haggadah 5; Ya’ari, Haggadah 3; Yerushalmi, plate 5; Heller, The Sixteenth Century Hebrew Book, Vol. I, p.7. Don Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a noted statesman, biblical exegete and Jewish philosopher. He was £35,000 [ref: 98814] born in Lisbon to one of the most distinguished Iberian Jewish families who had escaped the massacre in Castile in 1391. He devoted his early years to studies of Jewish philosophy and Rabbinic literature, becoming the chief of Portugal. In addition to his high intellectual abilities he showed a complete mastery of financial matters, which attracted the attention of King Afonso V of Portugal who employed him as treasurer. Using his high position and the great wealth inherited from his father Abarbanel repeatedly came to the rescue of various Jewish communities. Several times he had spent large amounts of his personal fortunes to bribe the Spanish Monarchy to permit the Jews to remain in Spain, or once - to save Moroccan Jews from the captured city of Alzira from being sold to slavery. Eventually his efforts proved unsuccessful, as he fell out of favour with the Spanish monarchy and was forced to flee Spain; first to Italy, where he settled in Naples, then to Messina, followed by a move to the island of Corfu, then to Monopoli and lastly to Venice, where he settled in 1503. He died in 1508 and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Padua, which was destroyed in the Siege of Padua the following year. Abarbanel had finalised the writing of Zevach Pesach in Monopoli, on the Passover night of 1496, as stated in the last paragraph of the book. The book was brought to print by Abarbanel’s son, Judah (Leone Ebreo), author of Dialogi di Amore, and was published together with two additional works: Nahalat Avot and Rosh Emunah. Zevach Pesach (as well as the other two works published by Judah Abarbanel) begins with a poem written by him. His verses for Zevach Pesach begin with words of affection and deep respect for his father. The work proved popular and was repeatedly reprinted and later illustrated.

Shapero Rare Books 15 one of nine copies printed on vellum 11. ROTH, Cecil (editor); RUTHERSTON, Albert (artist). The Haggadah. A new critical edition with English translation, introduction, and notes literary, historical, and archaeological, by Cecil Roth. With drawings by Albert Rutherston. London, Curwen Press for the Soncino Press, 1930.

One of the most celebrated modern Haggadot. ‘In issuing this new edition of the Haggadah, the publishers have aimed at giving to this time-honoured liturgy a setting of consummate beauty, a fitting testimony to the almost filial affection in which it is held by the Jewish people’ (Publisher’s note, by J. Davidson). This Haggadah was designed by the Anglo-Jewish artist Albert Rutherston (1881-1953), the younger brother of the British impressionist painter William Rothenstein. Unlike his contemporary, Arthur Szyk, who designed an equally celebrated Haggadah on vellum, Rutherston chose not to remain self-enclosed and retain his art within the space of the Jewish community. Rather, Rutherston opted to share his artistic talents with a wider audience and subsequently became closely associated with some of the greatest names of the 20th-century English art scene, including members of the highly select Bloomsbury Group - whilst still preserving his Jewish identity, as exemplified by this extravagantly designed Passover Haggadah. This edition was expertly translated and edited by Cecil Roth (1899-1970), an Oxford-educated Jewish historian and teacher, as well as a prolific writer of more than 600 works. In addition to his histories of the Jews in England and in Italy, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopaedia Judaica from 1965. Provenance: From the collection of Anna & Robert H. Siskin (with their bookplate). One of 9 copies printed entirely on vellum, (numbered II - X), this copy numbered X; from a total edition limited to 110; 4to (31 x 24 cm); 16 full-page illustrations by Albert Rutherston, all hand-coloured through stencil, text in Hebrew and English, slight wrinkling to leaves, very small, almost imperceptible stain to fore-edges between pp. 79-194; original gilt-ruled, dark green, crushed morocco by Henry T., wooden upper cover with gilt-tooled illustration, leather and brass clasps and hinges, all edges gilt, a fine opy;c 40, [2 blank], 209, [2] pp. Yaari 2149; not in Yudlov; not in Yerushalmi. £30,000 [ref: 97788]

16 Shapero Rare Books the second American Haggadah 12. [Passover Haggadah]. Second American edition; 12mo, (14.6 x 12 cm); some light wine Seder Haggadah shel Pesah: Service for the Two First staining to few pages, otherwise very good; contemporary-style Nights of the Passover. In Hebrew and English. black calf boards, with ornamental gilt edges and title to spine; New York, S.H. Jackson, 1850. 80 pp., (lacking 2 leaves of preface). Goldman, Yosef. Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History Only 5 copies known in American institutions. No known and Annotated Bibliography (YG Books 2006), p.121; Yaari, 693; copies in British institutions. Yudlov 941; J.R. Marcus, Jewish Americana (Cincinnati 1954), p.95, no. 225. The Second American Haggadah, published by John Marcus Jackson, son of Solomon Henry Jackson, who published £9,000 [ref: 96210] the First American Haggadah in New York in 1837. This edition considered to be the first true American edition of the Haggadah, as it is the first not to reference a foreign translation origin in its title (i.e. by David Levi).

‘Later American Haggadot published by Henry Frank and his successors used the English translation from this edition without attributing it to Levi or Jackson’ (Goldman, Hebrew Printing in America).

Solomon Henry Jackson considered to be New York’s first Hebrew printer and publisher. He was an immigrant from England and established his printing press in the 1820s. He published the first Jewish periodical in the United States - an anti-missionary journal titled The Jew and the first Hebrew prayer book in the United States.

In the First American Haggadah on both Hebrew and English title pages translator’s credit reads: ‘Translated into English by the late David Levy of London’ (which refers to David Levi (1740-1801), one of the first Hebrew publishers in London, who translated and published many Hebrew books during his lifetime. His Haggadah was originally published in London in 1749). This credit line is absent from the second edition.

S.H. Jackson made some changes to Levi’s translation: he omitted the German translations for ‘Had Gadya’, ‘Adir Hu’ and ‘Ehad Mi Yodea’; he also included both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic versions of the Grace After Meals. In his passage of the ‘Four Sons’, the question of the wise son is based on a rare variant reading (otanu [us] instead of etchem [you, plural]).

This variant of the Haggadah became the standard for many American publishers in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Shapero Rare Books 17 13. AGAM, Yaacov (illustrator). Haggadah shel Pesach. [Passover Haggadah]. Capepark Ltd., London, 1985.

A modern Haggadah with hand-printed illustrations by Yaacov Agam. Introductory leaf signed by Agam and numbered H.C. 3/9. First and last prints also signed by Agam. ‘All colour separations were produced by the artist, all screens used for each image were destroyed’. Printed in Paris by Atelier Arcay. A total of 584 were printed of this Haggadah, numbered for three editions of 180 each, an A.P. edition of 27, H.C. edition of 9 and a parchment edition of 8. The offered copy is numbered 3 out of 9 of the H.C. edition. Yaakov Agam, born in 1928, is an Israeli artist and sculptor based in Paris, best known for his contribution to optical and kinetic art movements. He had a retrospective exhibition in Paris at the Musée National d’Art Moderne in 1972, and at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1980, among others. His works are held in numerous museum collections, including the MOMA, and he was the only Israeli artist included in the Centre Pompidou Mobile - the travelling museum exhibition of the Centre Pompidou (2012-2013). Agam’s works are abstract and extremely colourful, many were placed in public spaces. His best known pieces include ‘Double Metamorphosis III’ (1965), ‘Visual Music Orchestration’ (1989), fountains at the La Défense district in Paris (1975) and the ‘Fire and Water Fountain’ in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv (1986). 58 original serigraphs, bound together, ‘pulled by hand on Rivs 270 gr. (Arjomarie-Prioux) by Atelier Arcay in Paris’, text in Hebrew with English in Preface, exquisite velvet binding, gilt lettering and ornament, matching original solander box, slightly rubbed, (52 x 42.5 cm), a fine copy. £7,500 [ref: 94472]

18 Shapero Rare Books 14. [Passover Haggadah]. Ma’aleh Beit Horin ve’hu Seder Haggadah shel Pesach. Vienna, Anton Schmid, 1813.

An interesting 19th-century example of Ashkenazic Passover Haggadah, with commentary by Alsheich, Gevurat Hashem and Olelot Efraim (Maharal). Illustrated with copperplate engravings from the 1695 Amsterdam Haggadah by Abraham bar Jacob (Avraham son of Yaakov Hager). Among the illustrations are the famous thirteen-panel depiction of the stages of the Seder and the ten-panel depiction of the plagues of Egypt. Anton Schmid was a Christian publisher of Hebrew books, who benefited greatly from the 1800 ordinance prohibiting the import of Hebrew books by Jews (who were themselves excluded from the publishing business). He employed a number of Jewish typesetters and proofreaders, mainly from Galicia, who were granted special residence permits in Vienna. Schmid issued a number of printings of the Haggadah using, as can be seen here, Abraham’s delicately engraved illustrations. This edition also features two popular commentaries by Moses Alscheich and Ephraim Luntschitz. 8vo, (26 x 20 cm); title within decorative typographic border; double column Hebrew, Ladino and Aramaic text, 11 engraved illustrations in the text, most half-page, some a little larger; expected wine stains and other signs of ritual use; contemporary sheep with gilt ornaments, a very good copy; 52 ll., leaves 13 and 48 are misnumbered. Yaari 380; Yudlov 543. £3,750 [ref: 85922]

Shapero Rare Books 19 15. [Ladino Passover Haggadah]. Haggadah shel Pesach. Im Pitron be-Lashon Sepharadi. Livorno, Israel Kushta and friend, 1876. By the end of the 18th century the Hebrew presses of Venice had declined to a point where they were entirely overtaken by the Livornese (Leghorn) Hebrew printers, who had been competing for the title ‘the centre of Hebrew printing’ with Venice for more than a century. Livorno finally became the chief supplier of Hebrew books to other Italian communities by the early 19th century. ‘The Livornese Hebrew printers created their own styles, and their title pages and typography are often readily distinguishable from others. In their , however, they created no new iconography of their own. They were content to copy the woodcuts of the Venetian editions of 1609 d 1629, and their subsequent reprints. Thus through Leghorn the Venetian illustrations achieved an unexpected immortality (Yerushalmi, Hasggadah and History). The illustrations and decorative initial letters in this Haggadah are based on the ones of the 1609 Venice Haggadah (see Yerushalmi, plates 44, 45, 46, 54, 91, 92 and 106). Variant copies of these illustrations can be found in other 19th century Livornese Haggadot by different publishers. 4to, (23 x 16.5 cm); 58 woodcut illustrations within text and additional decorative initial letters, text in Hebrew, Aramaic and Ladino, mainly clean, with only occasional light spotting and browning; later 19th century marbled boards with calf spine, edges and spine rubbed; 38 ll. Yaari 1101; Yudlov 1468. £1,500 [ref: 97723]

20 Shapero Rare Books 16. [ Passover Haggadah]. Haggadah shel Pesach. Offenbach, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Segal Spitz & son Rabbi Avraham Segal, [1794-95].

Scarce Ashkenazic Passover Haggadah. Complete with Yiddish translation and notes in Wayber-Taytsch lettering, based on the Haggadah of 1785. The title page bears the printer’s device of Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Segal Spitz and his son Rabbi Avraham (see Ya’ari, Hebrew Printers’ Marks 158). The last page includes ‘Bircat Iruv Tavshilin’, a special prayer for the preparation of food on occasions when the Sabbath follows a holiday (Yom Tov). In such cases, a special rule (Takanat Halacha) had to be established, originating in the Mishnah, so that a fire could be lit on a holiday, something not otherwise allowed. Not found in the Jerusalem National Library. Listed by Otzar Haggadot, 444, according to a private collection. First edition; 8vo, (19.3 x 12 cm); 5 woodcut illustrations, text in Hebrew, Aramaic and Yiddish, slightly stained and soiled; modern calf to style, 40 II. Yaari 265; Yerushalmi 84; Yudlov 382. £2,500 [ref: 91582]

Shapero Rare Books 21 17. SILBERMANN, Dr. A.M. (editor). The Children’s Haggadah. London, Shapiro, Vallentine & Co., 1933.

First Edition of this famous and much-loved children’s Haggadah with its moveable parts. Illustrated by Erwin Singer ‘with a new translation in prose and verse’ by Mr Isidore Wartski and Rev. Arthur Saul Super and ‘with a selection of Seder Melodies’ (9 pp.); elaborate illustrations, some of which include moving parts. Erwin Singer was a Berlin artist and art teacher, who emigrated to Britain, circa 1930s. He took part in a few Emigre exhibitions in Britain. His work Jüdische Pfadfinder (Jewish Boy Scouts, 1932) hangs in the Jewish Museum Berlin, side by side with work by Max Liebermann. First edition; large 4to, (31.3 x 23.3 cm); text in Hebrew and English, some signs of wear to pages, original illuminated boards, rust-coloured cloth spine, rubbed, a very good copy; [2], 45, [5] ll. Yudlov 3449. £750 [ref: 94329]

22 Shapero Rare Books Traditions, Religion and Education

Item 19 Shapero Rare Books 23 18. WEIL, Rabbi Ya’akov. The woodcut printed frame on the title-page bears the priestly Sefer Shechitot U’Bedikot. [Book of Kosher Meat symbol of hands at the top. There is a separate title-page Preparation]. to the book of Bedikot. The opening words at the beginning Mantua, Ya’akov Cohen of Gazulo (printer), 1556. of each book are framed with woodcut adornmental frame. On pages 5 and 6 there are printed illustrations of knives – to A scarce edition of the fundamental book of ruling and laws illustrate the flaws that invalidate a kosher slaughtering knife. of ‘’ and ‘trefot’. Only one other copy of this early edition on vellum is known to exist – in the collection of the 16 leaves (15.7 x 10.3 cm), printed on vellum, text in Hebrew; . signatures and inscriptions of previous owners to pages; preserved in a modern solander box with gilt decoration. ‘With glosses, printed in the name of Rabbi Avraham ben Peretz HaCohen’ and Sefer Bedikot by Rabbi Ya’akov Weil, £45,000 [ref: 91302] with glosses and ‘laws of nikur of the meat according to Rashi’. Shechita is the slaughtering of mammals and birds for food, also known as kosher slaughter. Trefa is food which does not satisfy the requirements of the Jewish laws of , meaning it is not kosher. The book consists of two works: Shechitot (plural from Shechita) and Bedikot (meaning ‘tests’ or ‘examinations’), written by Rabbi Ya’akov ben Yehuda Weil – one of the leading Ashkenazic Torah authorities and a disciple to the Maharil (Ya’akov ben Moshe Levi Moelin – a famous 14th century Talmudist). These works were first printed in 1549 in Venice, as part of the book of Responsa by Mahari Veil, and later published separately in more than 100 editions by various printers. The offered book is a very rare copy printed on vellum. During the 14th century the use of paper in book printing spread throughout Europe and slowly replaced vellum. With the introduction of the letterpress in the mid-15th century the production of books printed on paper became significantly cheaper. Copies printed on vellum were significantly more expensive and produced in small numbers, usually to special orders by affluent individuals, therefore these days they are extremely rare. On the reverse of the title-page there are several ownership inscriptions and signatures by Rabbi Yisrael Moshe Chazan - Av Beit Din (Presiding Rabbi of a Rabbinical Court) of Rome, Corfu and Alexandria; another signature - presumed to be by Rabbi Eliezer Yerucham Elyashar – Dayan (Rabbinic Judge) and Rabbi in Safed, father of Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ya’akov Shaul Elyashar.

24 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 25 19. BUXTORF, Joannes. Schoole der Jooden, begrypende het geheele Joodsche Geloof. [School of the Jew...] Rotterdam, Jan Daniel Beman, 1731.

Lovely example of this important work, with plates in bright colours and heightened with gold. In an unusual binding featuring the star of David. The four folding plates depict scenes of Jewish life: a Torah service, a Passover Seder, the Sukkot festival and a wedding. This copy was a special commission in colour, extremely rare for this title. Professor of Hebrew in Basel for 39 years, Johannes Buxtorf (1564–1629) was considered the leading Protestant expert on Hebrew at his time and came to be known as ‘Master of the ’. His main work, Juden Schul, was first published in German in 1603, followed by the Latin version Synagoga Judaica. The work is a thorough description of Judaism, as practised in Germany at the time and became valuable for its descriptive details. It also gives a glance to the history of Jewish thought, from the biblical times to the 17th-century. It is in this work that Buxtorf gives an interpretation of the relations between religions through a dialogue between a Jew and a Christian, where the latter answers to the Jew’s attacks on Christianity. This work voices Buxtorf’s own attitude towards the Jews which was, overall, a negative one; and although quoting various other literary works about Judaism, his speech was clearly biased. This fine copy is the third Dutch edition, with some Latin and Hebrew text. The four engravings were produced for the first Dutch edition in 1694 by Jan Luyken (1649–1712), a Dutch poet, illustrator and engraver. We could not trace any other copies of this edition in colour. 8vo, (15.8 x 9.3 cm); 5 hand-coloured engravings heightened with gold, all folding with tissue guards except for the additional title; contemporary calf boards, covers with gilt border lines, corner pieces and rich gilt ornamental decoration in the centre with the star of David, spine with raised bands gilt in compartments, red morocco label lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, head of spine chipped, spine and hinges rubbed and weak (upper hinge starting), ink stain to fore edge not affecting the pages; [14], 548, 44 pp. £3,750 [ref: 92859]

26 Shapero Rare Books 20. KIRCHNER, Paul Christian. Jüdisches Ceremoniel, oder Beschreibung derjenigen Gebräuche, welche Die Jüden so wol inn-als ausser dem Tempel... in acht zu nehmen pflegen. [Jewish Ceremonies, or Descriptions of Customs...] Nürnberg, Peter Conrad Monath, 1726.

Fundamental and richly illustrated work describing Jewish customs, rituals and costumes. This detailed description of Jewish ceremonial customs by Paul Christian Kirchner, a Jewish convert to Christianity, was first published in 1717 and then re-edited by the Christian Hebraist Sebastian Jacob Jugendres, who added his own commentary to the work in 1724. The new edition included twenty-eight copperplate engravings (nine signed by Johann Georg Puschner), depicting a variety of Jewish rituals, including events marking the life cycle within the community, such as: circumcision, presentation of the first born, prayer at the synagogue, wedding, purification of the bride, the washing of the brother-in-law’s feet, divorce, the feast of reconciliation, death rites, burials, the Sabbath and various holiday ceremonies. The illustrations are accompanied by four pages of legends that clarify them in detail. The book was intended for a German audience. Kirchner sought to persuade other Jews to follow his lead and convert to Christianity. The copper engravings may have been made in the workshop of Johann Georg Puschner the Elder (1680 – 1749), either by himself or by his son (also called Johann Georg). Small 4to, (21 x 17.5 cm); engraved frontispiece, title page in red and black, 27 engraved folding illustration plates; later floral boards; [4], 226, [13] pp. Freimann S. 148; Lipperheide Oc 20; Hiler 500; cf. Fürst II, 190. £2,550 [ref: 90504]

Shapero Rare Books 27 21. OPPENHEIM, Moritz Prof. Tafereelen uit het Oud-Joodsche Familieleven naar de Oorspronkelijke Schilderstukken van Prof. M. Oppenheim. [Scenes from the Old Jewish Family Life…] Frankfurt am Main; Amsterdam, Heinrich Keller; H. Eisendrath, [1882].

A magnificent book illustrated with 20 reproductions of Oppenheim’s oil paintings depicting a romanticised view of 18th-century German-Jewish life and customs; with an introduction by Rabbi J. Hoofien. Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1801-1882) is often regarded as the first Jewish painter of the modern era. He was inspired by his own Jewish cultural and religious roots, at a time when many of his German Jewish contemporaries chose to convert to Christianity. He was born to Orthodox Jewish parents at Hanau and entered the Academy of Arts at the age of seventeen. He later studied in Paris under Jean-Baptiste Regnault. In Rome he studied the life of the Jewish ghetto and made sketches of the various phases of its domestic and religious life in preparation for several large canvases, which he painted on his return to Germany. He received the title of Professor in 1832 from the Grand Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar. Rabbi Jacob Hoofien (1846-1886) trained in Amsterdam and became the Rabbi of Utrecht in 1875, having published a handbook on history of the Jews a few years prior. Small folio, (39 x 29 cm); text in Dutch, plates laid onto thick card with ornamental red border, edges gilt, botanical endpapers and half-title slightly foxed; publisher’s pictorial red boards gilt, floral ornaments, spine edges rubbed; 82 ll. (last blank).

£950 [ref: 97922]

28 Shapero Rare Books 22. CRÉHANGE, A[lexandre] ben Baruch. La Semaine Israelite. Ou le Tze’enah Ure’enah Moderne. Entretiens de Josue Hadass avec sa Famille. [Israeli week or modern Tze’enah u-Re’enah]. Paris, M.A. Crehange, 1846.

Créhange’s adaptation of Tzena U’rena (often spelled Tze’enah u-Re’enah, or Tseno Ureno in transliteration from Yiddish) into French by rendering the work as conversations of Joshua (Josué) Hadass with his family on holy scriptures, their relations with the religion and Jewish morals. Tzena U’rena (lit. ‘Come and See’, a title taken from the Song of Songs, 3:11, ‘Go forth and see, O ye daughters of Zion’) is an exegetical rendering in Yiddish of the Pentateuch, the Haftarot and the Five Scrolls, composed at the end of the 16th-century by Rabbi Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (1550–1625), it is sometimes called the ‘Women’s Bible’. The work consists of discourses on selected topics or passages from parashat hashavuah (the weekly chapter of the Pentateuch), the Haftarot, and the Scrolls, combining of the peshat (literal exegesis) and the derash (free interpretation), interwoven with legends from the Midrash and other sources, stories and topical comments on moral behaviour. Créhange’s work is written with great charm and most attractively illustrated by numerous lithographs. Alexandre Créhange (1791-1872), a Jewish-French author, Hebralist and communal leader was the most senior of the ten founders of the Alliance Israélite Universelle - a Paris-based international Jewish organisation, founded in 1860, aimed to safeguard the human rights of Jews around the world. 4to, (26.5 x 16 cm), five parts in two volumes; text in French and some Hebrew, numerous tinted lithographed plates, some foxing to pages; contemporary calf-backed boards, spines gilt, worn; vol. I: 72, 180, 73-200 (non-sequential); vol II: 128, 146, (2), 152 pp.

£1,250 [ref: 96209]

Shapero Rare Books 29 23. COHEN, Shalom I. (Rabbi Shalom HaCohen). his death. His last extensive work was Kore ha-Dorot, a history Elements of Faith, for the use of Jewish youth, of both of the Jewish people (1838). His other works include: Matta’ei sexes. (Shorshei Emunah). Kedem al Admat Zafon (1807), poetry; Amal ve-Tirzah (1812), London, E. Justins (printer). 1815. an allegorical and utopian drama, a sequel to M.H. Luzzatto’s Educational handbook which aimed at protecting Jewish La-Yesharim Tehillah; and KetavYosher (1820), a literary miscellany. children from the inroads of Christian missionaries. First edition; 4to, (21 x 14 cm); text in English and Hebrew; First published in London in 1815, the book was then translated restored marbled boards, with calf spine and gilt ornaments; into Dutch and published in Amsterdam in 1816; second [1-3,] 4-10, [1], 6-1 pp., [1], 2, [3] 4-56 ll. English edition was published in 1817. The Introduction states Singerman 0364; does not appear in Goldman. that the book was undertaken at the behest of the Rabbi £750 [ref: 96205] of the Aschkenazic community of London, Solomon Hirschell, together with Raphael di Meldola, Rabbi of the Sephardic community. The book had its critics among London Jewry - in 1818 Salomon Bennett, a professional engraver and author, published a work titled The Present Reign of the Synagogue of Duke’s Place Displayed in a Series of Critical, Theological and Rabbinical Discussions on a Hebrew Pamphlet entitled Minchath Kenauth in which he attacks the Chief Rabbi Solomon Hirschell and the offered book, which was published under Hirschell’s patronage and which Bennett regarded as being heretical. Shalom ben Jacob Cohen (1772–1845) was a Hebrew writer, poet and scholar. Born in Mezhirech, Poland, he studied German and read the new Hebrew literature. His first book, Mishlei Agur (1799), was a collection of Hebrew fables in rhyme, with German translation, aimed at teaching Jewish children simple and clear Hebrew. Cohen came to Berlin in 1789 and served as a teacher as well as the editor of Ha-Me’assef, a periodical which aimed to spread the use of the among educated Jewish youth. In 1813 Cohen left Germany, spent a short period in Amsterdam, then moved to London where he tried unsuccessfully to establish a Jewish school, publishing the offered title along the way. He then moved to Hamburg, before being invited in 1820, by Anton Schmid, to serve as head proofreader in the Hebrew section of his printing press in Vienna, where he remained for 16 years. In 1821 Cohen established the annual Bikkurei ha-Ittim, three issues of which appeared under his editorship. In 1834 he published his poetic work, Nir David, a description of the life of King David, which considered one of the first romantic works in Hebrew literature. In 1836 Cohen returned to Hamburg, where he remained until

30 Shapero Rare Books 24. IBN YACHYA, David. Sefer Lashon Limudim. [Grammar and construction of poetry]. Constantinople, Eliezer ben Gershom Soncino, 1542. Lashon Limudim is a grammatical work, printed together with another, smaller work - Shekel HaKodesh on versification and construction of poetry. David ben Solomon ibn Yachya (also spelled ‘Yahya’) was born in the middle of the 15th century and served as a Rabbi in Lisbon. Accused of influencing the Marranos (Jews who converted to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism in secret) and making them relapse into Judaism, he was sentenced by King John II of Portugal to be burned at the stake. He fled to Naples but was captured and had to sell his library in order to buy his freedom. On his release he fled to Corfu and later to Larta, where he died in extreme poverty. These two works were written by David ben Solomon ibn Yachya expressly for his relative - also called David ibn Yachya (son of the martyr Don Joseph) who, in 1518 became the Rabbi of Naples. The present edition was published by the author’s grandson, R. Joseph ben R. Tam ibn Yachya (author of Ohalei Tam) and edited by Solomon Almoli, who notes that earlier editions were riddled with errors. The first edition of the book was published in Constantinople in 1506. The title page is set within the delicate decorative border first used in Hijar, Spain, as well as in several other Constantinople books, beginning with the 1505 Pentateuch. Third edition; 4to, (22 x 16 cm); a wide-margined copy, title within ornamental border; modern chestnut calf boards, gilt title to spine, housed in a matching slip-case; [45] ll. Vinograd, Const. 176; Yaari 132, p.98. £3,750 [ref: 97084]

Shapero Rare Books 31 25. CINQARBRES, Jean. De re Grammatica Hebraeorum opus, in gratiam studiosorum linguae sanctae methodo quam facilima conscriptum, Authore Iohanne Quinquarboreo, Aurilacensi. [Hebrew grammar]. Paris, Martin Le Jeune, 1549.

Second edition (first published in 1546) of the popular Hebrew grammar book, dedicated to the Venetian Jew Paolo Paradisi. Jean Cinqarbres (Latin name: Johannes Quinquarboreus, 1514-1587) was a French grammarian of Hebrew, considered one of the foremost linguists of the 16th century and famous for his extensive knowledge of Hebrew grammar and syntax. He occupied the chair of Hebrew and Syriac languages at the College de France until his death. The distinctive printer’s woodcut device on the title page (Renouard, P. Marques 828, pp. 264-265) first belonged to Conrad Nòbar, then passed to Jaques Bogard and later to Martin Le Jeune but this size not shown under the bibliographical entry. Second edition; 4to, (22.5 x 17 cm); text in Latin and Hebrew, marginal tears to first two leaves, ownership signatures to title page and many marginal Latin notes to text in old brown ink; later half-marbled blue boards, corners rubbed; 182, [2] pp. £1,250 [ref: 97221]

32 Shapero Rare Books 26. HOROWITZ, Hayim. Sefer Hibat Yerushalayim. [Book of the Love of Jerusalem]. Jerusalem, Moshe and Yehudit, 1844.

First edition of the first book about Jerusalem printed in the Holy City, illustrated with the Western Wall image to the title page. This is also the first travelogue of the Holy Land published in Jerusalem. A fine copy of this scarce work. Published under the regime of the Sultan Abdul Maagid, the Book of the Love of Jerusalem was ‘written specifically for the edification of the Jews in the Diaspora’, to educate them on what the Holy Land and Jerusalem were like, compared to their description in the Bible. It is, as such, the first attempt by the residents of Jerusalem to convey to Diaspora Jewry the significance of the city and its holy places, and to link the global Jewish community spiritually and physically to the Land of Israel. A proper travel guide, it includes complete descriptions of the Land of Israel and Jerusalem, the holy cities, villages and important grave sites. The physical geography of each region is detailed in a manner that includes natural elements, such as hills and caves, and their place in history. The commentary is presented from a spiritual, religious viewpoint that emphasises the sacred significance of each location. Small 4to, (15.5 x 21 cm); [2 incl. title with woodcut vignette, text to verso], 60 leaves, text in Hebrew, title page a bit stained and rubbed; recent marbled half calf boards, gilt title to spine. £2,750 [ref: 95387]

Shapero Rare Books 33 27. ENGLANDER, S.H. 28. BOYARSKAYA, R[ebecca]. Zemiros Jisroél | Jewish Hymns. Arbet, Shpiel, Gezang: Kinder Lieder. [Work, play, sing: Amsterdam, Muziek en Letteren, c.1930. Children’s Rhymes].

Rare music album, containing sheet music with lyrics of 20 Moscow, Emes, 1932. Jewish songs, including famous prayers, such as Adir Hu, Shir A book of children’s songs in Yiddish, published by the Ha’maalot and Kol Nidre, and songs for various , Moscow Jewish publishing house Emes (‘Truth’ in Yiddish). including Chanukkah, Sukkot, Simchat Torah and Purim. Includes music note sheets with Yiddish rhymes, written along Folio, (32.5 x 24.5 cm); text of songs in transliteration in Latin/ the notes in transliteration. Dutch letters; original illustrated paper wrappers, unstitched The Jewish publishing house in Moscow was active from the as apparently issued, edges slightly rubbed; 3-22 pp. (complete). early 1920s until 1948, when it was liquidated by the Soviet £450 [ref: 98994] authorities and both its manager and chief editor were arrested. The mere existence of this publishing house was part of the weird policy of ‘forced Yiddishalisation’ aimed at Soviet Jews, which started in the early 1920s and came to its end in 1938, when all the Jewish schools that were opened in the 1920s were closed down. The publishing house survived for another decade, which included its moving to Samara during WWII (1941-1944) and back to Moscow again. During the time of its existence Emes was the biggest publisher of Yiddish children’s books in USSR. Rebecca Boyarskaya (1893-1967) was a Jewish teacher, author and editor, active in USSR in the Yiddishkeit field (Yiddishkeit literally means ‘Jewishness’). Born in Ukraine she studied music and education, lived in Moscow from 1922 and worked as a music teacher. She wrote a number of children’s song books in Yiddish and Russian. Small 4to, (22 x 17.5 cm); text in Yiddish with Yiddish transliteration in Latin characters for the rhymes, pages toned but clean; original illustrated wrappers, small marginal tears; 17, [3], 20 pp. £750 [ref: 96211]

34 Shapero Rare Books 29. [TOLSTOY L.N.]; Neruchev A. (illustrator). Hatanim Ve’Hapil. [The Coyotes and the Elephant]. Frankfurt Am Main, ‘Amanut’ Frankfurt Am Main - Moscow - Odessa, Gabriel Library, [1922].

Fable for children by Tolstoy, translated from Russian to Hebrew by an anonymous translator, richly illustrated in colour by Neruchev Anatoliy Vasilyevich. Neruchev was a Russian children’s book illustrator, mostly active in the 1910s, who illustrated numerous children’s books for the famous Moscow publisher Sitin I.D., as well as for some other publishers; it is unclear whether the illustrations for the present edition were created especially for it or were copied from a Russian original. The text of the fable tells the story of the coyotes, who trick the elephant to step into the swamp under the false suggestion of making him their king. The end is as grim as expected. Tolstoy’s Fables were styled after Aesop’s. ‘Amanut’ was a non-for-profit publishing house, established in Moscow in 1917, famous for translating renowned children’s and youth world literature into Hebrew. It moved to Frankfurt Item 28 in 1920 and then to Tel Aviv in 1925. The publishing house employed many famous Hebrew writers and translators, such as Israel Dushman and Yitzhak Lamdan, who translated most publications anonymously. The series published under the ‘Gabriel Library’ title was aimed at the younger children audience and was compiled mainly of Russian tales with original illustrations by Russian artists. (15.5 x 21 cm); cover illustration and 6 full page illustrations, text in Hebrew, vocalised, small chips to page corners, some pages loose, original illuminated colour printed wrappers, a very good, clean, copy; [14] pp. £350 [ref: 95573]

Shapero Rare Books 35 30. HERTZ, Rebekka. 31. VAN CLEEF, Henny. Israelitisches Kochbuch. [Jewish Cookbook]. Die Israelitische Küche. Kochbuch für das Israelitische Hamburg, B.S. Berendsohn, 1890. Haus von Henny van Cleef. [The Israelite Kitchen]. Leipzig, M.W. Kaufmann, circa 1910. Jewish cookbook filled with a rich variety of Kosher recipes. Includes sample menus and illustrated suggestions for festive The author suggests his book as the perfect gift for any girl table settings for main courses and desserts and guidance on or woman in a Jewish household, due to the delicious menus the art of napkin-folding. it contains, while also being practical and economical while Third edition; 8vo, (21.7 x 13.5 cm); text in German, original following the Jewish dietary laws. The variety of recipes ranges colour-illustrated and embossed boards, spine edges slightly from everyday cooking to festive dishes and contains advice rubbed; 330pp. on catering for events, including daily menus for every month of the year. £375 [ref: 99103] Sixth edition; 8vo, (23 x 15.7 cm); text in German, end paper contains culinary advertising with small marginal tears; publisher’s colour-illustrated and embossed boards, edges rubbed; 344, I-XVI pp. £275 [ref: 98956]

36 Shapero Rare Books Kaballah, Bibles and Prayer Books

Item 32

Shapero Rare Books 37 first fully illustrated printed book in Hebrew 32. IBN SHAHULA, Isaac. Vinograd, Venice 319; A.M. Habermann, Kiryat Sefer vol. Meshal Ha-Kadmoni. [The Primeval Fable]. XXIX pp. 199-203; Amram, pp. 367-71; Roth, Jewish Art, Venice, Meir Parenzo, [1546-1547]. cols. 476-77; Heller, The Sixteenth cent. Hebrew book, Vol.1, pp. 332-333. Illustrated collection of moral fables and animal stories by Isaac £37,500 [ref: 95122] ben Solomon ibn Abi Shahula, in rhyming prose interspersed with verse. Ibn Shahula, who was both a scholar and a physician, was born in 1244 in Guadalajara (Castile) and remained a wanderer for much of his life. He was a student under the Kabbalist R. Moses of Bugros, and wrote secular poetry until around 1281, when his outlook changed. It was then that he began to write Meshal Ha-Kadmoni. Ibn Shahula writes that his material is original but based on the Talmud and Midrashim, and that in style he has followed the example of the prophets, who presented moral lessons in allegorical form. He also sets out to demonstrate that Hebrew is as suitable a vehicle for conveying moral lessons as Arabic. The stories show both Kabbalistic and Indian influences. The use of animal characters is not typical in Jewish writing, but Ibn Shahula employs this device in order to deliver the tale’s moral in the clearest way possible. While animals in Christian fables were usually characterised by a single dominant characteristic (the cowardly rabbit, the cunning fox), Ibn Shahula gave the animals in his fables complex characters and highly specific religious tendencies: the birds pray in a ‘minyan’ in a synagogue, the deer prays three times a day and the lion dreams of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Some eighty woodcut illustrations grace the 64 leaves of this book, with one or two captioned woodcuts to a page. Though the illustrations resemble those of incunabula editions, Meir Parenzo, the printer of this edition, commissioned an entire new series of woodcuts providing more detail and artistic sophistication. The illustrations were prepared by three different hands. The first edition of this work was printed circa 1491 in Brescia by the Soncino family printers, with different illustrations. Second edition; small 4to, (18 x 12 cm); printer’s device on title, 80 woodcut illustrations, some soiling and staining, including damp-staining at margins, owners’ notes on title page and verso, a few marginal tears, most repaired, fore-edge of final leaf chipped; modern brown calf, blind fillet and corner devices, spine gilt tooled and lettered; 64 ll.

38 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 39 33. ELGAZI, Israel Yaakov (publisher). 34. EDREHI, Moshe [Edrei Moses] (editor). Sefer Chemdat Yamim. [Book of delightful days]. Sefer Torat Chayim. [Friday night readings of Bible, Izmir, Yonah Ashkenazi and David Chazan (printers), 1731-1732. Zohar and Prayers]. London, Yehuda Leib Bar Alexander, 1791-1792. A Kabbalistic book, the author of which remains a mystery to this day. Book of kabbalistic readings and prayers for Friday nights, customarily recited in the Eastern cities of Morocco. The book contains drashot (exegeses) for holy days and Saturdays. It contains an assembly of essays, most of which Moshe Edrehi (c.1774-1842) was a Moroccan scholar and itinerant preacher in North Africa, who travelled to London are attributed to followers of Ha’ARI (Isaac ben Solomon Luria in 1791. Here he studied in the Sephardic ‘Bet Hamidrash Ashkenazi). This work is considered to be controversial due Etz Hayyim’, preaching there on every Sabbath; he had been to some of its content being considered as teachings a child prodigy and started preaching at the age of 14. of Sabbatai Zevi - one of the most famous false Messiahs After the publication of this work he left for Amsterdam in Jewish history, who lived in Izmir (1626-1676). The book where he published Yad Moshe, a collection of sermons, was published fifty years after his death and some scholars and Ma’aseh Nissim, tales of the ten tribes with Yiddish attribute it to his followers. translation. His final journey, to the Holy Land, took four First edition; 4to, (20.5 x 15 cm); text in Hebrew, restored years and led Edrehi through France, Italy, Malta and Smyrna. contemporary dark leather with two original metal clasps; 282 ll. The ‘Tikun’ in the offered book is arranged according to the book Chemdat Yamim, listed in this catalogue under no.33. Vinograd, Izmir 29; Yaari, Izmir 23. First edition; 8vo, (20 x 12.5 cm); title printed within ornamental £2,000 [ref: 97722] border, text in Hebrew in Wayber-Taytsch lettering, library stamp to title and to one or two other leaves, restorations to corners of title and last three leaves; restored contemporary calf boards with gilt title to spine; [3], 52 ll. Roth, Bibliotheca Anglo-Judaica, B12 - 20; Vinograd 135. £1,250 [ref: 95389]

40 Shapero Rare Books 35. ASHKENAZI, Jacob ben Isaac. Tzena U’rena Bnot Zion. [Illustrated commentary on the Pentateuch with Prayer Book, for women]. Amsterdam, Herz Levi and Kashman, 1766.

Includes Sabbath prayers at the beginning of the book. The work, sometimes called ‘The Women’s Bible’, is a didactic prose work written in Yiddish circa 1590s, whose structure parallels the weekly Torah portions of the Pentateuch and Haftarot which are read in the weekly synagogue services. The work mixes Biblical passages with teachings from the Oral Torah, such as the Talmud’s Aggadot and Midrashim (allegories, legends, tales, commentary and interpretations of the Torah). Another interesting interpretation of this work can be found in this catalogue listed under no.22. The name of the book derives from a verse of the Song of Songs that begins: Tzʾēnhā urʾenhā bənot Tziyyon (‘Go forth and see, O ye daughters of Zion’, Song 3:11). The nature of the source of the name indicates that the book was intended for women, who at the time would have been less versed in the Hebrew language and less educated than men. There have been at least 300 editions of the book printed, starting in the 1590s, the first three printed in Poland. The author, Rabbi Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (1550-1624) was born near Lublin, Poland. He would tour the neighbouring communities and publicly read the weekly Torah portions (Parashat Ha-Shavua). He wrote a few works on the Halacha (Jewish religious law, derived from the written and oral Torah) and the interpretations of the scriptures but Tzena U’rena remains his most famous work. 8vo, (19 x 11.5 cm); many woodcut illustrations within text, Hebrew and Yiddish in Wayber-Taytsch lettering, restored calf boards, with gilt decorations to spine; [2], 510 ll. Vinograd, Amsterdam 1905.

£1,500 [ref: 97707]

Shapero Rare Books 41 from the library of David Sassoon 36. Machzor Le’Rosh Ha-Shanah. Machzor Le’Yom Kippur. [Set of Machzorim for Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur, according to Sefardic Italian rite]. Livorno, Moshe Yehoshua Tobyana; Eliyahu ben Amozeg and friends, 1832; 183 7. Set of Sephardic rite festival prayer books (Machzorim) with exquisite gilt bindings, made for David Sassoon, the treasurer of Baghdad. David Sassoon (1792-1864) was a Baghdadi Jewish businessman, philanthropist and the first of the European Sassoon dynasty that were named ‘Rothschilds of the East’ (in fact one of his sons later moved to England, became a Baronet and married into the Rothschild family). David Sassoon was born to a wealthy family of bankers and served as the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829; his father had also served as treasurer before him. Later the family fled to Bombay (now Mumbai), following increasing persecution of Baghdad’s Jews, where Sassoon became a naturalised British citizen in 1853. From Bombay Sassoon managed his extensive trade with China, comprising various business interests including textiles, oil, cotton and other popular goods. Throughout his busy business life Sassoon remained an observant Orthodox Jew. He built three in India, considered to this day to be the most beautiful in the country - the Magen David in Byculla, Bombay, the Knesset Eliyahoo in Colaba, Mumbai and the Ohel David in Pune. All still exist and form an important part of India’s cultural heritage. Provenance: David Sassoon (1792-1864), Treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829, businessman and philanthropist. 3 vols, 4to, Rosh Ha-Shanah Machzor (19 x 12 cm), Yom Kippur Machzor (19.4 x 12 cm); all three volumes signed and dated in Hebrew by David Sassoon on title leaves and also include later bookplates in English, added by Sassoon’s great grandchild. David Sassoon’s name also appears in gilt letters on the spine of Rosh Ha-Shanah volume; contemporary morocco bindings with fine gilt ornamental tooling to spine and boards, gilt and embossed endleaves, all edges gilt, slightly rubbed; one vol. 114 ll; two vols 130 ll. & 166 ll. £4,500 [ref: 98759]

42 Shapero Rare Books 37. MAIUS, Johann Heinrich & BURCKLIN, Georgius Christianus (editors). Torah, Neviim u’Ktuvim. Biblia Hebraica, ad optimorum tam impessorum, speciatim Clodii, Leusdenii, Iablonski, Opitii. Frankfurt am Main, Johann (Ioannis) Philipp Andreas, 1716.

Scholarly edition of the complete Old Testament (), edited by Maius and Burcklin, the third and last of a series of the Frankfurt editions called by Masch ‘Biblia Clodiana’. According to Darlow and Moule (5143) ‘The text is mainly based on the Athias-Leusden edition of 1667,66 (No. 5134)’. Beautiful full-page copper plate engraving to frontispiece depicts Moses, Aaron and King David with a harp kneeling in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The sky is adorned with three ‘Yod’ letters in a glowing triangle, which suggest God’s name (the name also appears in full underneath together with a reference to Ezekiel 1:28, which explains the mythical creatures depicted in the cloud). The engraving also includes the title in Hebrew and name Maius as the editor. The magnificent early 18th century binding was most likely custom-made for a wealthy patron, bearing his armourial crest on the front cover. Two volumes bound in one, 8vo, (21.5 x 16 cm); text in Hebrew and Latin; contemporary morocco binding with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine ornamental gilt tooling to spine and boards, gilt gauffred edges; [13], 2-333 ll; II - [1], 335-686, [2] ll. Darlow & Moule 5143. £5,000 [ref: 98761]

Shapero Rare Books 43 38. HAIM, Yisrael (editor). Ezrat HaSofer; Hamisha Humshey Torah; Tikun Sofrim, Vavei Ha’amudim. [Pentateuch with Or Torah glosses]. Vienna, Georg Holzinger, 1818.

Sephardic Pentateuch published in Vienna by Yisrael Haim of Belgrade - the pioneer of Ladino printing in Vienna and ‘champion of the Ladino translation tradition in the 19th-century’. (David M. Bunis, Histoire, Epistomologie, Langage) Yisrael Haim was born in the second half of the 18th-century in Belgrade. Following the invasion of the Dahijas in 1813 Haim was forced to flee Serbia and later settled in Vienna. Here he published most of his works and dedicated his whole life to his literary efforts and to serving the community. Through the first few decades of the 1800s Haim published many sacred Hebrew books, such as prayer books, Pentateuchs, moralistic works and others. His translations were intended not just for the Sephardic community of Vienna but also for Ladino speakers worldwide - the descendants of medieval Spanish Jewry. Living side by side with the Ashkenazic community in Vienna and inspired by presses that published Yiddish works Haim began to publish Ladino new editions and new translations of Medieval Sephardic Hebrew classics. One of Haim’s main concerns was the lack of knowledge of Hebrew among the Jewish youth. Inspired by the prenumerantem system employed among the Ashkenazic community Haim offered wealthy members of his community the opportunity to sponsor his publication in return for their name to be recorded in the work, as can be seen in this publication’s title page: ‘Brought to Print by Dear Honourable Lord Eliezer Ben Menachem HaCohen’. Five vols, 8vo, (19 x 12.5 cm); text in Hebrew, with Ladino preface by Yisrael Haim; contemporary brown calf with gilt floral and pomegranate patterns in oriental style and the name ‘Chaim’ embossed on the front cover of vols III and V., signature ‘Chaim’ to some of the title pages, overall in good condition, some stains and wear, preserved in a modern slipcase; vol. I - title, [18 ll.], 79 ll.; vol. II - title, [1 l.], 86 ll.; vol. III - title, 67 ll.; vol. IV - title, 75 ll.; title, 70 ll. £3,750 [ref: 93717]

44 Shapero Rare Books 39. LEVI, David (translator). pages slightly stained/foxed, The Five Scrolls vol. contains plate Tikun Sofrim. [Pentateuch with a separate volume depicting the ten sons of Haman hanged; modern calf-backed of the Five Scrolls]. marble boards retaining old labels. London, Lion Soesmans, 1787. Vinograd, London 116; Roth B8:29. First edition of Levi’s Pentateuch, which came to be the £5,000 [ref: 91806] best known Bible translation by a Jew of its time. Published together with a sixth volume of the Five Scrolls. Roth lists this edition as fivevolumes only. This Pentateuch contains the Haftarot - a series of selections from the books of Prophets of the Hebrew Bible that are publicly read in synagogue as part of the Jewish religious practice, following the Torah reading on Saturdays, Jewish festivals and fast days. Hebrew text and English translation printed on facing pages, English text accompanied by explanatory notes. Divisional title pages for the Haftarot. The additional Hebrew title page of each volume engraved by Solomon Polack, showing Jews praying and celebrating in a synagogue. David Levi (1740-1801), the translator of this edition, was in fact an erudite Whitechapel cobbler and one of the most remarkable characters of 18th-century English Jewry. He was born in London and after failing to make a living as shoemaker, went to the other extreme and became a hatter, meanwhile continuing his studies at the Great Synagogue of London. In 1783 he produced, for the enlightenment of the Gentile world, a succinct account of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jews, in which their religious principles and tenets are explained. From that date onwards he was constantly engaged in literary work, in the intervals of trying to earn his livelihood. He produced grammars, dictionaries, apologetics, pamphlets and polemics. For years on end he was a one-man Anti-Defamation Committee, always prepared to fight with his quill whenever the good name of Jews or Judaism was impugned. In addition, he produced a series of liturgical and other translations, considered to be superior to A. Alexander’s. Alexander, who was a well known and established rival London-Jewish publisher, saw in Levi an imitator. First edition; 6 vols (separate volume for the Five Scrolls), 8vo, (19.5 x 13 cm); two title pages, Hebrew and English, to each of the first five volumes, sixth vol. published with the Hebrew title page only and a divisional Hebrew-English title page for each scroll, Hebrew title pages engraved by Solomon Polack, some

Shapero Rare Books 45 40. FRIEDLANDER, M. (editor). The Hebrew Bible with English Translation. [Silver Binding]. Jerusalem, Hamadpis Liphshitz Press, circa 1930-1950.

‘The present edition of the Scriptures is a reduced facsimile of the Jewish Family Bible issued in London in 5645 (1884), edited by the late Dr. M. Friedlander, Principal of Jews’ College, London, and sanctioned by the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.’ The embossed ‘Tablets of Stone’ adorning the front cover are topped with a bejewelled crown; the back cover depicts twelve icons symbolising the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The inscription to the English title page reads: ‘To / Jack Cotton / with Love / Shalom Zysman, / Ramat-Gan, 1.2.1959.’ Shalom Zysman (1914-1967) was an Israeli politician and the Deputy Mayor of the city of Ramat-Gan. He served as a member of the Knesset for the General Zionists party between the 1951 and 1955. Provenance: Jack Cotton (1903-1964), British property developer. (14.2 x 11 cm); titles in Hebrew and English, inscription to English title page, dated 1.2.1959; illuminated endpapers mounted in sterling silver decorative binding with clasp (marked on clasp as ‘925 silver, made in Israel’) with paste gemstones to front cover; [10], 1979, [2] pp. £1,500 [ref: 97285]

46 Shapero Rare Books

Item 47

Shapero Rare Books 47 true first edition of Herzl’s vision of a Jewish State 41. HERZL, Theodor. the scheme. Encouragement came from Zionist groups in Der Judenstaat. Versuch einer modernen Lösung der Berlin and Sofia and the Russian Hovevei Zion cautiously took Judenfrage. [The Jewish state. An attempt at a modern note. Unreserved acclaim came from the Zionists on the solution of the Jewish question]. margins of Viennese Jewish society. Their support catapulted Leipzig and Wien, M. Breitenstein, 1896. Herzl to the leadership of the Zionist movement. This was the most significant, immediate result of the publication of In 1896, Der Judenstaat, Versuch einer Modernen Lösung the work. Der Judenstaat is considered to be the founding der Judenfrage was published in Vienna by the 35-year old manifesto of political Zionism. , a Hungarian journalist of Jewish descent. The previous year Herzl had witnessed the Dreyfus affair in Provenance: Shlomo Shva collection. Paris and had been appalled at the outbreak of First edition. First issue indicated by pointing to the left flower that it had generated in the ‘birthplace of human rights’. closing vignette on p.86. 8vo, (24 x 16 cm); one leaf cut in bottom He came to the conclusion that the creation of an independent right corner with no damage to text; pencil inscriptions and Jewish state during the 20th century would be the best way for pen notations on two leaves; small marginal tears; recent calf. Jews to escape European antisemitism. The title of the work Text in German; 86 pp. originally read Proposal of a modern solution for the Jewish question: Address to the Rothschilds, as Herzl planned to deliver £12,500 [ref: 94470] it as a speech to the Rothschild family but Baron Edmond de Rothschild rejected Herzl’s plan, feeling that it threatened Jews in the diaspora; he also thought it would put his own settlements at risk. Herzl worked on his pamphlet from summer 1895 to winter 1896 but received little support from publishers. Siegfried Cronbach (Berlin), publisher of a Jewish weekly, rejected the publication, objecting to its content, as did Duncker and Humblot (Leipzig), which had recently published Herzl’s Palais Bourbon but insisted that they never produced anything on ‘this question’ (relating to the Jewish question). On 17 January 1896 the London Jewish Chronicle carried a synopsis of the pamphlet: ‘A Solution of the Jewish Question’ by Dr. Theodor Herzl. This led to a meeting with a fairly obscure publisher, Breitenstein. Herzl noted that he was enthusiastic about certain passages, and a definitive title, Der Judenstaat, was decided upon then and there. The precise terms of their cooperation are not known, but later accounts show that Herzl received no royalties and that income from sales barely covered the publisher’s costs. By February the proofs were ready, but Herzl was clearly disappointed that only 3,000 copies were planned to be printed - Breitenstein did not expect a commercial success. On February 15th, 1896, the slim volume appeared in the shop window of M. Breitenstein’s Verlags-Buchhandlung in Vienna. It was Herzl’s only work in which he used his academic title. Obviously, he wished to appear as a sober man of affairs, not a utopian. Reactions to Der Judenstaat were not long in coming. The well-to-do Jewish middle class of Vienna was aghast, as Hermann Bahr told Herzl at the time and Stefan Zweig recalled. The Neue Freie Presse kept silent, the liberal press rejected

48 Shapero Rare Books 42. HERZL, Theodor. Medinat Ha-Yehudim. (Der Iudenstaat). [The Jewish state. An attempt at a modern solution of the Jewish question]. , Halter And Eisenstadt for Toshiah, 1896.

First Hebrew edition of Herzl’s manifesto leading to the creation of the Jewish State. Published the same year as the original German version, Der Judenstaat. Translated by M. Berkowitz (stated in Hebrew on the cover pastedown). ‘It was Herzl’s book that really crystallised the idea of a national home for the Jews. Through his work, he transformed the Jewish people from a passive community into a positive political force… That a Jewish State was created in within fifty years of his death was due to the vision and the practical methods of Herzl, expressed in his manifesto of 1896’ (J. Carter, Printing and the Mind of Man). See more about this work in the previous catalogue entry (no.41). 8vo, (20.5 x 13 cm); some marginal browning to pages, contemporary black cloth with original upper wrapper pasted on, dedication to previous owner Dr. Reuven Madel, in Hebrew to the front endleaf, dated ‘Lodz, 1985’, small marginal tears to the first 4 leaves and the last leaf with no damage to text; title, i-iv, 5-82 pp. PMM, 381. £8,500 [ref: 94282]

Shapero Rare Books 49 43. HERZL, Theodor. 44. BEILINSON, Mosche. Sechs Kongressreden. [Six conference speeches]. Aufsätze. [Essays]. Leipzig, W. Drugulin for the Leipzig Section of the German Zionist Tel Aviv, Printing Cooperative ‘Achduth’, 1937. Association, 1914. Works by one of the most renowned political writers of The Yishuv (pre-State Jewish settlement in Israel) The first collected edition of Herzl’s six speeches. and representative of the Zionist Socialist Labor Movement, Dr. Moshe Beilinson. Number 253 of a limited edition of 400. This private-press edition of Herzl’s speeches given at the first six Zionist World First edition of the collection of Beilinson’s Zionist essays dealing Congresses was published in commemoration of the tenth with the here-and-now in Palestine. Beilinson (1890-1936) anniversary of his death and to coincide with the Leipzig was born in Russia and was one of the most prolific journalists Zionist Congress, where Salman Schocken (1877-1959), in Mandate Palestine. After having studied medicine in who as a publisher cooperated frequently with the Drugulin Switzerland and Germany he moved to Palestine in 1924, Davar printing house, handed to each delegate a copy of this book. where he co-founded the newspaper together with Berl Kaztnelson in 1925. Beilinson wrote for the Davar In 1915, Schocken, together with , had founded Der Jude and other publications, representing the official positions of the Zionist journal . He built the Schocken Library in The Yishuv leadership. This German-language collection was Haaretz Jerusalem and bought the local newspaper in 1937. intended to inform and inspire Jews in the German-speaking First edition; large 4to, (27 x 21 cm); text in German, bibliophile diaspora, at the same time demonstrating the vibrant Jewish printing on very fine paper imitating vellum, wide margins; original publishing and book production abilities of Tel-Aviv, as well gilt-stamped boards, extremities a little worn, light spotting; 81, [2] as commemorating the author. This volume was published Histadrut (the initial 2 blank) pp. with the support of the , which is, to this day, the most powerful trade union in Israel. £650 [ref: 89030] First edition; large 8vo, (24 x 16 cm); title at inner margin stuck to inside of front wrapper, resulting in three small flaws, pp. 71-72 with marginal tear and a crinkled corner, the last few pages slightly crinkled, otherwise a good copy; wire-stapled, as issued, in the publishers printed wrappers, light wear to spine; 199 pp. £250 [ref: 89025]

50 Shapero Rare Books extremely rare, only known copy in English 45. ISRAEL, State of. Yom Hamedinah (The Day of The State). Tel Aviv, May 14, 1948. A joint one-off publication of Israel’s newspapers on the day of the proclamation of the state of Israel. A scarce copy in English. On May 14, 1948, ‘the last day of foreign rule’, the Hebrew newspapers of Palestine released this joint publication titled ‘The Day of The State’, announcing the establishment of the independent State of Israel. Unlike the well-known Hebrew version of this publication, the English one is extremely scarce. We could not locate another copy in any known institution, including the National Library of Israel. The first agep of the publication contains the text of the Declaration of Independence and states that all the restrictions and regulations of the White Paper (1939) are no longer valid. The second page contains sixteen encapsulated articles concerning the events of the day and declaring a global mobilisation, in order to defend the newly-formed state from the Arab Legion. May 14th was a Friday, and the publication states that the Chief Rabbinate granted a special permission to ‘uninterrupted mobilisation all throughout Shabbat’. Single broadside sheet, printed on both sides, with photographic illustrations, text entirely in English, evenly browned, central fold, (47.5 x 33 cm). £7,500 [ref: 99150]

Shapero Rare Books 51 the first publication of the declaration of the State of Israel 46. ISRAEL, The Provisional Government of. 47. BEN-GURION, David. Iton Rishmi. [Issues 1 to 25 of the Official Gazette, 1st Israel: A Personal History. issue containing the Declaration of Independence for New York, Funk & Wagnalls / Sabra Books, 1971. the State of Israel]. Tel Aviv, the Provisional Government of Israel, 1948. One of 2,000 numbered copies, signed by Ben-Gurion beneath his frontispiece portrait. This first issue of Iton Rishmi (14.5.1948) contains the official publication of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, as A fine copy of Ben-Gurion’s history of the Jewish settlement read out by David Ben Gurion and includes the ‘Scroll of in Palestine and the founding and first decades of the State Independence’ (Megillat Ha’atzmaut) and a manifest by the of Israel. The story is told from Ben-Gurion’s subjective Provisional State Council. point of view, largely relying on historic documents, personal ‘”Decree concerning the Establishment of the State of Israel” correspondence and speeches. Ben-Gurion shares his views on - In the Land of Israel the Jewish People have arisen... (a brief the history of the Jewish people since the tribes of Abraham, account follows of the events from the First Zionist Congress through the first Jewish settlements in 19th century Palestine, to date, including the )... Therefore we to the rise of the Zionist movement, the British Mandate years are gathered together, we, the members of the people’s and the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel. Government, the Leaders of the Hebrew Settlement and the Zionist Movement, on the day that marks the end of the First edition; 8vo, (26 x 18 cm); number 1226 of a limited edition British Mandate over the Land of Israel, and in accordance of 2000 copies, signed by Prime Minister Ben-Gurion; publisher’s with the... decision of the Assembly of the , we dark blue morocco with gilt lettering, top edge gilt, moiré silk hereby declare the establishment of the Jewish State in the linings, a fine copy; [6], v-xxii, [2], 1-862 pp. Land of Israel, that is, the State of Israel.’ £2,250 [ref: 98903] The names of all of the 37 members of the Provisional Government, headed by David Ben-Gurion, are listed on page 2. This issue also contains the annulment of the infamous 1939 White Paper restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine. 4to, (33.5 x 20.5 cm); printed in black ink, text in Hebrew, slightly stained, small tears to edges, 25 issues bound together; contemporary printed grey cloth binding, rubbed. £3,500 [ref: 94471]

52 Shapero Rare Books Art and Secular Books

Item 48

Shapero Rare Books 53 48. STASSOFF [STASOV], Vladimir; GUNZBURG and attractive; contemporary morocco-backed marbled boards, [GINZBURG], David. gilt-lettered spine, joints and extremities rubbed; with 4to French L’Ornement Hebreu. Ornamentation des anciens text booklet pasted to fourth blank page (printed in Leipzig, manuscrits Hebreux de la Bibliotheque Imperiale 1919); [title], I-VII, VII*, VIII-XXII, A-C,13pp. Publique de St. Petersburg. O. Vasilieva, The Stasov-Ginzburg Album and Antokol’skii’s Megilla, Berlin, S.Calvary & Co., 1905. Manuscripta Orientalia, Vol. 12 No. 4 December 2006. (A copy A magnificent Hebrew album, based on 13th-century supplied with the book). Hebrew-Spanish biblical manuscripts from the Firkovich £7,500 [ref: 96269] collection of the Imperial Public Library of Saint Petersburg. Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (1824-1906) was a prominent Russian critic and publicist based in St Petersburg. The son of the Russian architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov (1769–1848), he was a graduate of the School of Jurisprudence and was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1859. In 1900 he was made an honorary fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with his friend Leo Tolstoy. Stasov wrote a lot about Jewish art and took an active part in discussing the building and decorating of the Saint Petersburg synagogue. He also served as the Head of the Art and Technologies department of the public library and from 1856 Stasov worked on compiling and publishing his album of ‘Slavic and Oriental Ornamentation in the manuscripts of the Ancient and Modern times’. For this publication Stasov extensively studied the manuscripts archive of the library and even copied some of them by hand. David Goratsievich Ginzburg (1857-1910) was an orientalist- semitologist, bibliophile and a member of a prominent family of financiers. Based on surviving correspondence, it would appear that Stasov approached him in 1883 and offered to publish the work, which was based mostly on Hebrew manuscripts in the Firkovich collection of the Imperial Public Library, with some additions from other collections of Hebrew manuscripts held in libraries in London and Paris. Copies of the manuscripts were created by I. Ginzburg, who later went on to become a famous sculptor, and the draughtsmen V.A. Bogdanov and N.V. Nechaev. This ambitious work took more than a decade to complete. Folio, (57 x 46 cm); 27 gold-enhanced chromolithographic plates, including engraved title, letterpress booklet tipped in; plates darkened at edges, ink stamp to dedication page, preliminary blank torn with loss to lower corner otherwise generally clean

54 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 55 Arthur Szyk masterpiece 49. SZYK, Arthur. Folio, (38 x 32 cm); text in French, Polish, English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Le Statut de . [The Statute of Kalisz]. German, Italian and Spanish, 46 full-colour facsimile leaves only, Paris, Table Ronde, [1932]. of which 2 are duplicates (see note above), heightened in silver & gold, each printed on one side of toned sheets, lacking the Fine example of this scarce work, published in a limited edition printed nomination and limitation ll; original burgundy morocco of 500 copies. with publisher’s gilt and embossed medallion on front cover. Considered to be one of Szyk’s greatest creations, The Statute of Kalisz explores a significant event in Polish history in which £25,000 [ref: 94915] Jews were granted civil and religious privileges commencing in the 13th century. In this work Szyk also emphasised the contributions that Jews had made to Polish society and the mutual and beneficial relationship that existed between Poles and Jews for centuries. This work must be viewed within the context of Szyk’s lifelong efforts to combat prejudice, especially antisemitism, through his art as well as through direct political activism. The context of the May 1924 coup in Poland should also be considered. Szyk believed that Joseph Pilsudski, the coup’s leader, was Poland’s only hope for true democracy, whilst the current government would often officially sanction antisemitism. Szyk chose The Statute of Kalisz as his subject, as this was a historical precedent for fair treatment of Jews by the Polish government. The work shows scenes demonstrating mutually beneficial cooperation between Poles and Jews, spreading over a period of nine centuries. This project was the first time Szyk acted simultaneously as scribe, calligrapher and illustrator. Szyk often looked to medieval illuminated manuscripts for inspiration for his dense colourful imagery. The work includes elaborately illustrated translations of the original Latin text of the laws to French, Polish, English, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, Italian and Spanish - each on separate page. This particular copy is somewhat anomalous, at least when compared to the few copies that have come up at auction: there are two duplicated colour sheets (20 & 28) and one colour sheet, commencing ‘Jus Polonicum Jura Judaeis...’ is absent here; neither the printed nomination or limitation leaf have been bound in and all the colour sheets have been mounted onto stubs and sewn into the publisher’s original binding, rather than loose as normally presented.

56 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 57 50. REITZENSTEIN, Wolf Ehrenfried von. Der Vollkommene Pferde-Kenners. [The Complete Horse-Guide]. Uffenheim, Joh. Simon Meyer (printer), 1764. A German horse manual with a Jewish-jargon-dictionary supplement. ‘Rare first edition of this original and curious work on horsemanship’ (Johan Dejager, Great Books on Horsemanship). The first ap rt of this book is a comprehensive equestrian and veterinary manual. Pages [17]-[20] list a curious bibliography of books on horsemanship, while the manual itself contains guidance on buying horses, training and dressage, saddles, horse shoeing, various bits and mouth-pieces. The second part of the book deals with horse medicine and understanding prescriptions. The final part of the work is the most unusual: it is a supplement comprising a 36-page Hebrew/Yiddish dictionary with an alphabetic index of over 1,500 terms, transliterated into Gothic letters and with German translations. This is followed by five sample dialogues between Jewish horse-traders in their distinct jargon. Since their normal vernacular of Yiddish could be understood by their German speaking non-Jewish competitors, the Jewish dealers developed a secret trade dialect heavily laced with Hebrew, which prevented non-Jews from understanding them. The efforts of non-Jewish horsemen to try and penetrate this newly-erected linguistic barrier are demonstrated by a close examination of the present volume. The end of this volume is lavished with detailed, illustrated plates. The first plate depicts the ideal horse, with a detailed anatomy of its open mouth; the following ones show horse breeds, illustrations of dressage and various pieces of equipment, the frontispiece, by A. Hoffer after A.D. Steingruber, depicts the Residenzschloss at Ansbach. First edition, to parts bound in one; 4to, (21.5 x 17.3 cm); engraved frontispiece and 28 engraved plates, some folding; modern half-vellum boards; [24], 176, [16], 176, [52] pp. Lipperheide 2929 (ed. 1780); Dejager 267.

Price: £8,500 [ref: 95270]

58 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 59 51. RUSSELL, C. & LEWIS, H.S. First American edition; 8vo, (19 x 12.5 cm); some marginal chips, The Jew in London. [Map and the accompanying light worming and browning to page edges, not affecting text; book]. A Study of Racial Character and Present-Day publisher’s blue cloth boards, gilt title to spine, edges slightly Conditions. rubbed; half-title, title, vii-xlv, [3], A, 2-238 pp.; with large folding chromolithographic map titled ‘Jewish East London’. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1901. Barber (London: A History in Maps, 2012), p.236; Bryars & Harper First American edition (the first British edition was published (A History of the 20th Century in 100 Maps, 2014), pp. 22-25. in London in 1900). £6,500 [ref: 99259] The infamous Arkell map of the Jewish population in the East End of London with the accompanying book by Charles Russell and Harry Samuel Lewis. George Edward Arkell (1857- 1926) was the cartographer responsible for the production of Charles Booth’s famous poverty maps of London, which were used as the basis for the map offered here, originally produced in 1899. This map may be held up as an example of misleading statistical cartography: there is little doubt that the mapmaker made an effort to emphasise the ‘problem’ of recent Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe. Fleeing the resurgence of pogroms in eastern Europe and the Tsarist persecution in Russia, many Jews had arrived in London in the second half of the 19th century. At that time Britain had no restrictions on immigration and estimates suggest that by 1900 the Jewish population of London’s East End had risen to 135,000. In 1905 the Aliens Act was passed, designed specifically to halt Jewish immigration. The dark blue colour on the map indicates an area with a concentration of 95-100% of Jewish population; Arkell used the same dark blue colour in Charles Booth’s ‘London poverty maps’ for areas of ‘vicious, semi-criminal poverty.’ This implicitly overstates the social and economic condition of the Jewish residents: in the third series of Booth’s poverty maps, published just a year later, those same streets shown here with the highest density of Jews were marked as ‘poverty and comfort mixed’ - the middle level of Booth’s categories ranging from ‘wealthy’ to ‘lowest class’ (Bryars & Harper, p.25). Arkell’s map may have ‘fuelled the that led to the passing of the 1905 Aliens Act aimed at reducing Jewish immigration to a trickle. In fact, at the time the overall Jewish presence in Stepney was only 18% and it never seems to have exceeded that percentage’ (Barber).

60 Shapero Rare Books Shapero Rare Books 61 52. MIRABEAU, Honore Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de. Sur Moses Mendelssohn, Sur la Réforme Politique des Juifs: Et en particulier sur la Révolution Tentée en Leur Faveur en 1753 dans la grande Bretagne. [Moses Mendelssohn, the political reform of the Jews: and in particular the revolution attempted on their behalf in 1753 in Great Britain]. London, n.p., 1787.

From the personal library of Jacob Bernays, the renowned German philologist and philosophical writer, this book explores the ‘Jewish question’ from its author’s perspective. Mirabeau, a leading figure in the early days of the French Revolution, became interested in the ‘Jewish question’ during his visits to Holland in 1776, England in 1784 and Prussia in 1786. Influenced by the enlightened members of the Jewish communities in these countries, he was particularly fascinated by the image of Moses Mendelssohn. In this book, which resulted from his travels, he argued that the faults of the Jews were those of their circumstances. Although his main reason for admiring Mendelssohn was that ‘humanity and truth’ seemed much clearer to him than ‘the dark phantoms of the Talmudists’, Mirabeau did not consider Judaism an immoral faith and he defended it against attacks, both old and new. In the course of his argument, he repeats the assertion of Christian Wilhelm von Dohm, the famous German advocate for Jewish emancipation, that ‘the Jew is more of a man than he is a Jew’. Quoting from Turgot and Rousseau in support of his pro-Jewish arguments, Mirabeau affirms that history proves that ‘the Jews, considered as men and as citizens, were greatly corrupted only because they were denied their rights’. Like Dohm, Mirabeau advocated preserving some measure of Jewish autonomy, a view he developed in his memorandum to Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, but he envisaged it as a transitory phenomenon. In his opinion the organised Jewish community would wither away and die as the Jews entered fully into the economic and social life of the majority. Provenance: Jacob Bernays (signature). First edition; 8vo, (19.5 x 12.5 cm); some minor foxing throughout; contemporary marbled boards, spine taped, edges rubbed; [68], 130 pp. £1,500 [ref: 90983]

62 Shapero Rare Books 53. LEWIS, Wyndham. 54. EINSTEIN, Albert & FREUD, Sigmund. The Jews - are they Human? Warum Krieg? [Why War?] London, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1939. Paris, Internationales Institut Für Geistige Zusammenarbeit Völkerbund, 1933. An attractive copy of the author’s famous and somewhat Famous exchange on the root causes of war by two divisive antifascist text. The title is a reference to another of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the XX century. True The English: are they Human? work, (1931) by G.J. Renier, First Edition, limited to 2000 copies (copy no.1213). and was intended ironically in defence of the Jews at the time In 1932 Albert Einstein, invited by the to of escalating antisemitism in Europe. Despite the combative address a letter on any subject to any individual, chose to nature of the title the work was well received in many quarters, correspond with Sigmund Freud on the possibilities of avoiding including The Jewish Chronicle. war. Einstein maintained the importance of establishing an First edition, ‘review copy’; 8vo, (19 x 13 cm); publisher’s printed independent judiciary body to mediate conflicts. Freud agreed review slip filled in by hand and loosely inserted; publisher’s red with this idea but also insisted that, ‘there is no likelihood of cloth stamped in black, near fine, dust-jacket, slightly sunned at our being able to suppress humanity’s aggressive tendencies’, and that war is the ultimate expression of man’s distaste spine with small stain, otherwise a very good example; 111 pp. for the restraints of civilisation. By the time of publication, Hitler had risen to power and the world moved closer each Morrow & Lafourcade A28; Pound & Grover A28a. day towards a global conflict. Einstein, the committed pacifist, £480 [ref: 98728] had resigned from the League of Nations over its inability to confront Nazi militarism. In October 1933 he began his tenure at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. The book was banned in Germany, from 1933 to 1945, by the ruling National Socialist party. First edition; octavo, (22.5 x 16.5 cm); original printed wrappers; small split to base of spine, 62 pp. £2,500 [ref: 88482]

Shapero Rare Books 63 nine original photographs by Roman Vishniac 55. VISHNIAC, Roman. continually renewed and revised. Maybe I should call these Nine photographs of Jewish Life. images “The faces of learning”.’ 1935-1938. Students gathering outside the Yeshiva of Rabbi Baruch Rabinowitz, The collection comprises: Mukachevo, Czechoslovakia [now Ukraine]. Circa 1937-1938. An elder of the village, Vysni Apsa. Circa 1938. (7.3 x 10.3 cm). (6.3 x 8.3 cm). This iconic photo was included in the book A Vanished World Man purchasing , wrapped in newspaper, for a Sabbath (1983) as plate 3, with the following caption: ‘It was in 1938, meal, Mukachevo, Czechoslovakia. Circa 1935-1938. but it was by burning branches and logs that the inhabitants (7 x 9.5 cm). of Vysni Apsa produced heat and light. I remember very well Rabbi and child. Circa 1935-1938. the light of the fire illuminating the hands and face of this (7 x 10 cm). village elder, whose advice was requested by members of his community. How much this man seemed to be wise and Request for a weekly meal, Warsaw. Circa 1935-1938. comforting’ (Vishniac, Roman). (7.2 x 10.3 cm). A Vanished World / Roman Vishniac; with a foreword by Elie Wiesel (New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1983), plate 3; The Vanished Worn Rabbi. Circa 1935-38. World Portfolio (Twelve Photographs), 1936-38 (Witkin-Berley (7.2 x 10 cm). Ltd., Roslyn Heights, NY, 1977), cover image. Rabbi Yehiel Chaim Wagshal, assistant to Rabbi Baruch Rabinowitz, Davi Eckstein, seven years old and classmates in cheder, Brod, Mukachevo, Czechoslovakia. Circa 1935-1938. Tchécoslovaquie. Circa 1935-1938. (7.3 x 10.4 cm). (9 x 8.7cm). Wilno Rabbi Chaym Grodzenski (under umbrella) and disciples David (Davi) Eckstein is a Holocaust survivor, currently living at his summer residence in Iwje, Wilno. Circa 1935-1938. in the southern USA. Born in 1930 in the small town of Brod, (7 x 10.3 cm). Eckstein was seven years old when Vishniac took several photos of him, his classmates and his teacher. Vishniac recalled Roman Vishniac (1897–1990) was a Russian-American Jewish later ‘I watched this little boy for almost an hour, and at that photographer, best known for capturing on film the culture moment I saw all the sadness of the world’. Eckstein survived of Jews in Central and Eastern Europe before . five concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen in Germany He is considered to be one of the most prominent and Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Poland, before being liberated photographers to document the Jewish way of life in Eastern by the Soviet armed forces. His entire family, except for one Europe of the first half of 20th century. A major archive of his brother, perished in the Holocaust. This portrait was chosen work now rests at the International Centre of Photography. as the cover image for Vishniac’s first publication Polish Jews: Vishniac was also an accomplished biologist, an art collector A Pictorial Record (1947), as well as the cover of A Day of and teacher of art history, who became a Zionist in later life. Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (1969). It also appears in the book A Vanished World (1983) as plate 6 with Nine vintage silver prints, housed in a custom made rust morocco the following caption ‘Boys were admitted to cheder at the album with gilt lettering, (19 x 26 cm). age of four. In their dimly lit classroom, these young people The Vanished World Portfolio (Twelve Photographs), 1936-38; NY, were reading and writing Hebrew. They became familiar 1977. The International Center of Photography collection. with the five books of Moses and studied commentaries on the Talmud, especially the comments of Rashi, a famous eleventh-century scholar. The Talmud is a collection of laws £6,500 [ref: 97716] and Jewish traditions that form the basis of religious life. In the cheder, the seeds of learning have been sown and the tradition

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