F INE JUDAICA . PRINTED BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS & GRAPHIC ART K ESTENBAUM & COMPANY T HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2008 K ESTENBAUM & COMPANY . Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art Lot 259 Catalogue of F INE JUDAICA . PRINTED BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS & GRAPHIC ART Including: Selections from the Rare Book-Room of a College Library The Charles (Kalonymus) Richter Collection of Jewish Liturgy Jewish Social-History: The Collection of a Gentleman, New York A West Coast Collection of Americana, Part II (Short-Title Index in Hebrew available upon request) ——— To be Offered for Sale by Auction, Thursday, 18th September, 2008 at 3:00 pm precisely ——— Viewing Beforehand on: Sunday, 14th September - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday, 15th September - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday, 16th September - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Wednesday, 17th September - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Thursday, 18th September - 10:00 am - 2:30 pm This Sale may be referred to as: “Hilltop” Sale Number Forty-One Illustrated Catalogues: $35 (US) * $42 (Overseas) KESTENBAUM & COMPANY Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art . 12 West 27th Street, 13th 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 ESTENBAUM & COMPANY . Chairman: Daniel E. Kestenbaum Operations Manager: Jackie Insel Client Accounts: S. Rivka Morris Client Relations: Sandra E. Rapoport, Esq. (Consultant) Printed Books & Manuscripts: Rabbi Eliezer Katzman Rabbi Bezalel Naor Ceremonial & Graphic Art: Aviva J. Hoch (Consultant) Catalogue Art Director and Photographer: Anthony Leonardo Auctioneer: Harmer F. Johnson (NYCDCA License no. 0691878) ❧ ❧ ❧ For all inquiries relating to this sale please contact: Daniel E. Kestenbaum ❧ ❧ ❧ Front Cover Illustration: Lot 363 Back Cover Illustration: Lot 67 List of prices realized will be posted on our Web site, www.kestenbaum.net, following the sale. THE CHARLES (KALONYMUS) RICHTER COLLECTION OF JEWISH LITURGY. r. Charles (Kalonymus) M Richter (z”l) passed away on August 9th (25th Av), 2007 at the age of 99. He was a highly respected businessman in the United States as he was in his native Vienna. During World War II, Mr. Richter was very involved in hatzalah activities together with his father-in-law Julius (Yaakov-Shlomo) Steinfeld (z”l). Following his arrival in New York in early 1940, he settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and was there instrumental in the founding of the Viennese Kehilla, Khal Adas Yereim. His historical sketch of the Orthodox Kehilla in Vienna, especially the renowned “Shiff-Schul,” was printed in several periodicals. His later years were devoted to preserving the Jewish cemeteries in Slovakia, where his ancestral family home in Topolcany was located. For the last 40 years, Charles Richter’s name was well-known among collectors of rare Hebrew books. With the encouragement of his dear wife Vally (Sorol, A”H), he assembled a substantial collection comprised of Siddurim, Machzorim and varied other liturgical works such as Selichoth, Kinoth and Minhag books. Everything that pertained to Jewish liturgy and the Synagogue was of interest to him. In this regard he did much original research on the books in his collection, rich not only with antiquarian material but also containing an extensive research library. It is the hope of his family that a new generation of Torah scholars and bibliophiles will benefit and gain pleasure from the sepharim that he collected with such love and now offered for sale in this auction. Lot 331 — P RINTED BOOKS — IMPORTANT NOTICE: Many books in this auction have been de-accessioned from a College Library. The expression “ex-library” will indicate such a volume may contain anyy number of library stamps, notations, or other distinguishing marks whichch may not be individually detailed in the relevant catalogue description. __________________ 1 (ADLER, NATHAN HAKOHEN). Solomon Ibn Adret. Sepher Toldothh Adam…She’eloth U’Teshuvoth…Dinei Mamonoth [responsa concerningg fi nancial matters]. Inscription on title: “Shayach LehaTorani HaMuphla U’Muphlag BaTorah UvaChasiduth kmohar”r Nathan ben HaMano’ach m. Ya’akov Shim’on Adler Katz zllh”h” [“Belongs to the scholar, excellent in Torah and piety, Nathan son of the deceased, Ya’akov Shim’on Adler Katz]. (See below). ff. 8, 104. Light stains. Ex-library. Contemporary mottled calf. Sm. folio. [Vinograd, Leghorn 18]. Livorno, Yedidyah Gabbai: 1657. $4000-6000 ❧ RABBI NATHAN HAKOHEN ADLER COPY. R. Nathan Hakohen Adler of Frankfurt am-Main (1741-1800), referred to as “HeChasid ShebeKehunah” (“The Pious Among Priests,”) was the teacher of R. Moshe Schreiber, author “Chatham Sopher.” Although in all known documents, Nathan’s father is referred to as “Shim’on,” R. Nathan himself would sometimes sign himself “Nathan ben Ya’akov Shim’on.” See J. Unna, “Nathan Hakohen Adler” in: L. Jung, Guardians of Our Heritage (1958), p. 169; EJ, Vol. II, cols. 284-5; N. Friedmann, Otzar Harabanim, no. 16293 (emend “Shimshon” to “Shim’on”). Known as HaNesher HaGadol, “The Great Eagle” (Adler is German for eagle), R. Nathan Adler’s impact upon German-Jewry lasted generations. Lot 1 (magnifi ed) [SEE ILLUSTRATION TOP RIGHT] 2 ALASHKAR, MOSES BEN ISAAC. Hassagoth [“Critique”: Polemic / philosophy]. FIRST EDITION. Printer’s device on title (Yaari no. 22). ff. 16. Light stains, several torn leaves expertly repaired. Recent wrappers. Sm. 4to. [Vinograd, Ferrara 46; Adams M-1866]. Ferrara, Abraham ibn Usque: 1557. $2000-3000 ❧ The kabbalist ibn Shem Tov had written in Sepher Ha’emunoth a scathing critique of Maimonides’ rationalist philosophy. In the Hassagoth, R. Moses Alaskhar rises to Maimonides’ defense, accusing ibn Shem Tov of deliberately misquoting Maimonides. [SEE ILLUSTRATION LOWER RIGHT] 3 AKRA, ABRAHAM BEN SOLOMON. (Editor). Mehararei Nemeirim. FIRST EDITION. Title within ornamental border. ff. 58 (mispaginated), lacking fi nal ff. 6 of indices (as most copies), some staining. Ex-library. Recent boards. 8vo. [Vinograd, Venice 877]. Venice, Daniel Zanetti: 1599. $400-600 ❧ A collection of invaluable “Kelalei ha-Gemara” or principles of Talmudic methodology. These essays were penned by R. Emanuel Sephardi and by the distinguished Egyptian halachist R. David ibn Zimra. Specialized studies on the hermeneutic principle of “kal ve-chomer” (a fortiori) were drawn from the writings of R. Samuel Al-Valensi and R. ibn Musa. In his introduction, the printer bemoans his inability to provide page numbers of the Talmudic citations, due to the scarcity of copies of the Talmud in Italy following its mass confi scation and subsequent destruction. Lot 2 1 4 ALBELDA, MOSES. Darash Moshe [Festival sermons and homilies]. FIRST EDITION. Title within architectural arch. ff. (6),128 (i.e. 125). Censors’ signatures on title and endpaper, stained in places. Ex-library. Old sheepskin, rubbed. Folio. [Vinograd, Venice 959; unrecorded by Habermann (di Gara)]. Venice, Giovanni di Gara: 1603. $400-600 ❧ Moses Albelda (1500-before 1583), was born either in Spain or Salonika. He served as rabbi of Arta, Greece, and later of Valona, Albania. See EJ, Vol. II, col. 529. 5 ALMOSNINO, MOSES. Me’ametz Ko’ach [sermons and eulogies]. Second edition. Printer’s device on title, f. 225b and fi nal leaf. ff. 236. Censor’s signatures on title and verso of fi nal leaf. Stained. Ex-library. Contemporary limp vellum. 4to. [Vinograd, Venice 726; Habermann, di Gara 102; not in Adams]. Venice, Asher Parenzo for Giovanni di Gara: 1588. $400-600 ❧ Me’ametz Ko’ach contains twenty-eight - (thus Ko’ach, the numerical Hebrew equivelant of 28) - sermons by this celebrated preacher of the Neveh Shalom Congregation and an important communal leader of the Salonika Jewish community. Almosnino draws upon a broad repertoire of medieval interpreters: Maimonides, Nachmanides, R. David Kimchi, ibn Shuaib, et al. See EJ, Vol. II, cols. 669-71. Born in Salonika, Moses ben Baruch Almosnino (c. 1515-c. 1580), hailed from a distinguished Jewish Spanish family originally from the town of Jaca in Aragon. He was renowned for his knowledge of rabbinical matters and for his scholarship in the sciences, LotLot 8 particularly natural physics and astronomy. 6 ALMOSNINO, MOSES. Yedei Moshe [homilies to the Five Scrolls]. 8 (AMERICAN JUDAICA). (Bible). Sepher Tehillim - Liber Second edition, with table of contents, index and afterword by Psalmorum. Hebrew and Latin prepared by Johannes Leusden. Samuel Ibn Daisus. Title within garlanded architectural border. Printer’s device on title page. pp. 8, ff. 240, 2. Ex-library. Modern half Opening word of each scroll within type-ornament. ff. 289, (9). Title morocco. 16mo. [Vinograd, Utrecht 8]. worn along margins with strip removed from upper portion, fi nal leaf worn. Utrecht, Balt. Lobee: 1688. $500-700 Contemporary blind-tooled calf, rubbed and worn, ex-library. Sm. 4to. [Vinograd, Venice 833; Mehlman 632]. ❧ This Psalter is dedicated to Dr. Increase Mather, President of Harvard College “unequaled in reputation and power by Venice, Daniel Zanetti: 1597. $400-600 any native-born American Puritan of his generation.” (DAB). ❧ Almosnino left several manuscripts unpublished. The Johannes Leusden (1624-1699) was a professor of author himself several times alludes to his work P’nei Moshe Hebrew at Utrecht University. He is most famous for having (see eg. ff. 85r., 108v.). Of scientifi c interest is Almosnino’s produced in collaboration with the Amsterdam publisher commentary on the Hebrew translation of the Sphera Mundi Joseph Athias the magnifi cent Biblia Hebraica (1661) which entitled Beth Elo-him. See M. Waxman, A History of Jewish served as a model for publications of the Bible up to the Literature, Vol. I (1933) p. 319. 19th century. Leusden also translated the register of 613 commandments that heads Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah 7 ALSHEICH, MOSES. Chelkath Mechokek [commentary to the (Utrecht, 1656). See EJ, Vol. 11, cols. 63-6. Book of Job, with text]. FIRST EDITION. Title within architectural [SEE ILLUSTRATION TOP LEFT] arch.