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Fine Judaica, to Be Held November 14Th, 2013 F i n e J u d a i C a . printed booKs, manusCripts, autograph Letters, CeremoniaL obJeCts & WorKs oF art K e s t e n b au m & C om pa n y thursday, nov ember 14th, 2013 K est e n bau m & C o m pa ny . Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art A Lot 352 Catalogue of F i n e J u d a i C a . PRINTED BOOK S, MANUSCRIPTS, AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS & GRAPHIC A RT INCLUDING R ARE BOOK S FROM THE ESTATE OF A CHASSIDIC SCHOLAR ——— To be Offered for Sale by Auction, Thursday, 14th November, 2013 at 3:00 pm precisely ——— Viewing Beforehand: Sunday, 10th November - 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Monday, 11th November - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday, 12th November - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Wednesday 13th November - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm No Viewing on the Day of Sale This Sale may be referred to as: “Kubis” Sale Number Sixty Illustrated Catalogues: $38 (US) * $45 (Overseas) KestenbauM & CoMpAny Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art . 242 West 30th street, 12th Floor, new york, NY 10001 • tel: 212 366-1197 • Fax: 212 366-1368 e-mail: [email protected] • World Wide Web site: www.Kestenbaum.net K est e n bau m & C o m pa ny . Chairman: Daniel E. Kestenbaum Operations Manager: Jackie S. Insel Client Accounts: S. Rivka Morris Client Relations: Sandra E. Rapoport, Esq. (Consultant) Printed Books & Manuscripts: Rabbi Eliezer Katzman Ceremonial & Graphic Art: Abigail H. Meyer Catalogue Art Director and Photographer: Anthony Leonardo Auctioneer: Mark O. Howald (NYCDCA License no: 1460490) For all inquiries relating to this sale please contact: Daniel E. Kestenbaum Order of Sale: Printed Books: Lot 1 - 287 Illustrated Books: Lots 288 - 305 Autograph Letters & Manuscripts: Lots 306 - 361 Graphic Art: Lots 362 - 399 Ceremonial Art: Lots 400 - End of Sale Front Cover Illustration: Lot 400 Back Cover Illustration: Lot 393 List of prices realized will be posted on our Web site, www.kestenbaum.net, following the sale. — P RINTED B OOKS — 1 AARON IBN CHAIM. Korban Aharon [extensive commentary to the Sifra with an essay on hermeneutics] FIRST EDITION. Two parts in one. Title within architectural arch. ff. 139, 302, (4). Some staining. Later morocco, gilt. Folio. Vinograd, Venice 1058; Habermann, di Gara 271. Venice, Giovani di Gara, 1609. $400-600 ❧ With various owners’ signatures including R. Ber Adler HaKohen, father of Nathan Marcus Adler, Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. 2 ABRABANEL, JUDAH. (“Leone Ebreo.”) Dialoghi di Amore. Printer’s mark on title. ff. 246. Despite a few marginal repairs, a bright copy. Recent tinted vellum. 8vo. Adams A-63. Venice, Domenico Giglio, 1558. $500-700 ❧ The author was the eldest son of Don Isaac Abrabanel and one of the foremost philosophers of the Renaissance. Commonly known as Leone Ebreo, his reputation rests upon the Dialoghi, among the most popular philosophical works of the age. See C. Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (1959), pp. 128-36. [see illustration upper right] 3 ABRAHAM BEN ELIEZER LIPMAN. Igereth HaTzofeh. FIRST EDITION. Marginalia throughout: Mostly short synopses of the text and possibly prepared by the author for a new edition. ff. 34. Lot 2 Some staining, paper repair to final leaf affecting some words, previous owners’ marks. Contemporary boards, rubbed, upper cover detached. 4to. Vinograd, Bialystok 4. Bialystok, Aaron Halevi Horowitz, 1806. $600-900 ❧ Introduction to the study of Rav Alfas (Ri”f) and his commentaries; with Kanfei Nesher, halachic matter pertaining to the distinguishing marks and signs of Kosher birds; Ir Cheshbon on the Mitzvoth, and Chalon HaTziftzuf, Kabbalistic and homiletical comments. The title page cites the Vilna Gaon on the importance of studying the Ri”f. The author who was a Maggid and Dayan in Vilkomir, Lida and other towns, published a number of works including Hin Tzedek, Amudei Shamayim and Kanfei Nesharim. Although he obviously was influenced by the Vilna Gaon, he was related to the great Chassidic Rabbis R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and R. Zushye of Annapoli. It has been suggested he was in fact their brother or nephew. See See H. Liberman, Ohel Rochel Vol. III, pp. 517-19; A.C. Michaelson, Ohel Elimelech, siman no. 151; and M. Eidelblum, R. Elimelech MiLizhensk, p. 31. [see illustration lower right] 4 (ALEPPO). Dwek, Jacob Saul. Derech Emunah. Printed presentation label with autograph additions by the author on front pastedown. pp. 24, ff. 133. Previous owner’s signature on title, recent handwritten table of contents inserted after introduction, Contemporary boards, calf backed spine. 8vo. Aleppo, Y. Dayan, 1914. $300-500 ❧ A volume of inspirational sermons, alphabetically arranged, delivered between Passover and Shavuoth. The author, Jacob Saul Dwek (1828-1919) was Chief Rabbi of the ancient city of Aleppo. See D. Sutton, Aleppo City of Scholars (2005) pp. 182-85. Lot 3 1 Lot 5 5 ABUDRAHAM, DAVID BEN JOSEPH Abudraham [commentary to the prayers]. FIRST EDITION. Printed in double columns. With diagrams of the Temple altar in Jerusalem on ff. 23r. -24v. and calendric tables of “Moladoth” on ff. 134r., 137, 139v.-140r. Scattered marginalia in a Sephardic hand. ff. (169 of 170). f. 1 in facsimile, some text missing on ff. 2-3 replaced in facsimile. Several ff. paper repaired (especially final leaf laid to size), slight worming repaired, clean tear on f. 162 neatly taped, some staining, (pencil marking of leaf numbers erroneous.) Previous owner’s signature on verso of final leaf “Yitzchak Ibn Lebo.” Modern elegantly tooled morocco, with matching fitted case. Folio. Vinograd, Lisbon 4; Goff 36; Goldstein 92; Offenberg 1; Steinschneider, p. 859, no. 4784, 1 “Expl. Perfectum Rariss.”; Thes. B19; Wineman Cat. 57. Not in Cambridge University; Roest p. 296 (also lacking first leaf); Yeshiva University copy incomplete (See G. Cohen, Hebrew Incunabula…Yeshiva University no.1). Lisbon, Eliezer (Toledano), 1489. $50,000-60,000 ❧ THE SECOND BOOK PRINTED IN LISBON. A Wide-Margined Copy. An invaluable encyclopedia concerning the ritual customs of Spain, France, Provence and Germany. David ben Joseph Abudraham of Seville wrote this liturgical commentary in 1340. He was motivated to write the work in response to contemporary liturgical confusion: “The lengthy exile and intensive persecution have led to a variety of customs in different kingdoms so that most ordinary folk, when they offer their prayers to God, are ignorant about their meaning and have no understanding of the sense and structure of liturgical practices.” Abudraham’s work accordingly not only provides clear rules, but devotes much space to the reasons behind many customs, as well as commenting on the text of the prayers and piyutim. The work offers commentary to all daily, Sabbath, monthly, Festival and fast-day prayers, also provides guidance on lectionaries, the calendar, as well as an extensive treatise upon the various benedictions. See S. C. Reif, Judaism and Hebrew Prayer (1993), pp. 204-5. “Of all the [incunable] Hebrew presses that flourished in the Iberian Peninsula, that of Lisbon - the last of them all - was typographically the best equipped and most successful.” See J. Bloch, Early Hebrew Printing in Spain and Portugal (1938) pp. 32-3. The opening leaf of this first edition is especially rare and is lacking in many copies. Indeed, Brad Sabin Hill states, [Incunabula, Hebraica & Judaica from the Jacob M. Lowy Collection, National Library of Canada (1981) no. 92] “this may be the only complete copy in the world.” [see illustration above] 2 Lot 6 Lot 7 Lot 8 6 (AGUDATH ISRAEL) Sepher HaTakanoth shel Agudath Yisrael HaBesarabith - Statutul Societatei Evreesti din Basarabia “Agudas Isroel” Text in Hebrew, Romanian, Yiddish and Russian pp. 22. Original printed wrappers, light wear. 4to Kishinev, P. Galanter, 1920. $700-900 ❧ Scarce. Delineates the objectives of the early Agudath Israel movement. Among the 51 points of business are proposals seeking to establish seminaries for teacher education and sports organizations for the healthy physical development of students. [see illustration left] 7 ALFASI, ISAAC BEN JACOB (RI”F) Sepher Hilchoth Rav Alfas [Rabbinic code]. With commentary of Rashi, index on quotations from Arbah Turim of Jacob b. Asher, and index of Biblical quotations Three parts in one volume. Titles within woodcut architectural arch, incorporating printers’ device (Yaari no. 61) ff. 211, (1); 160; 204. Previous owners’ stamps, light stains in places. Contemporary elaborate blind-tooled calf, spine in compartments, remnants of clasps and hinges, extremities worn. Thick 4to. Vinograd, Amsterdam 66; Fuks, Amsterdam 210 Amsterdam, Immanuel Benveniste, 1643. $1500-2000 ❧ A Handsome Copy. [see illustration middle] 8 (AMERICAN JUDAICA) Castillo, Martin Del. Arte Hebraispano. Dikduk Lashon Hakodesh Belshon Sepharadith. Grammatica de la Lengua Santa. FIRST EDITION. Text in Hebrew and Spanish. Hebrew words are pointed and followed by Spanish transliterations. Woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces. pp. (24), 336. Some worming, especially to inner margin, some water-staining and foxing. Contemporary limp vellum, stained, binding almost detached. 8vo. Palau 481466. Lyons, Florian Anisson, 1676. $2000-3000 ❧ First edition of the first Hebrew grammar printed for the New World. No doubt a Marrano, Martin del Castillo was born in Burgos and studied Hebrew under the converso Rabbi Moyses (D. Francisco del Hoyo) while guardian of the Franciscan convent in Mexico. Although approved in 1656 the work was not printed until twenty years later due to the lack of printing facilities in Mexico that could accommodate a work with Hebrew type; thus Castillo had the book produced in Europe. The author remarks; “The distance between Mexico, in the New World, and Lyons, in the Old World, should excuse any writer from the blame that several misprints have occurred.” “The book is so rare that the author’s name…is given in Kayserling’s bibliography as Martyr del Castillo with a remark that it is the pseudonym of a Spanish Jew.
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