Five Books of the Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim. Geneva: Kafa [Cephas] Elon (Petrus de la Rouière), 1618.

Original leather binding, decorated.

Vocalized Bible. Two columns per page. Divisional title pages for Neviim Rishonim, Neviim Acharonim and Ketuvim. The Five Megillot appear after the Book of Iyov in the present copy.

Chapters and every fifth verse numbered in right or left margins.

Ketuvim title page differs from the other title pages; it is printed in a decorated frame with the secular year in Hebrew letters (according to Steinschneider the date is to be corrected to read 1617). This title page does not appear in all copies.

Inscription on front endpaper: "Purchased by Avraham HaKohen of Głogów". Additional inscriptions in Latin.

128; [145]-369; 60, 129-144; 61-124 leaves. 22 cm. Good condition. Stains. Marginal tears to several leaves. Worming to endpapers. Original decorated leather binding. Damage to binding.

CB, no. 420; Zedner, p. 99; Darlow & Moule, no. 5118.

Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim, "translated from the Holy Tongue, and written in Yiddish", Yiddish translation of the Bible, based on the commentaries: Targum Yonatan, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Radak, R. Saadia Gaon, Ralbag and others. Amsterdam: Yosef Athias, [1686].

Translated by R. Yosef son of Alexander Witzenhausen.

Two title pages. The first contains a large, elaborate engraving, the center of which is occupied by the coat of arms of the Dutch Republic, flanked by the figures of Moses and King David. Biblical scenes unfold at the top and bottom of the page.

Approbation of the rabbis of the Council of Four Lands on leaf [4], signed once at the Yaroslav (Jarosław) fair in 1677, and then again at the Lublin fair in 1678. The approbation acclaims the printer "Mr. Yosef Athias son of the martyr Avraham Athias who was burnt alive in Spain", for the excellent printing press he established, "going beyond all his predecessors to accord grandeur and glory to the Torah, with beautiful paper and ink, and by attaching crowns to the letters…".

Signature on title page: "Pinchas son of R. Shimshon".

Signature on verso of first title page: "Bendit Segal". Ownership inscription on front endpaper: "This book belongs to… Bendit Segal in Ziegenhain". Birth inscription on front endpaper: "My son Mendel was born… Elul 1802".

[6], 79; 150 leaves. 30.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including many dampstains. Tears, including open tears to both title pages, affecting illustrations of first title page and title frame and text of second title page, repaired with paper. Light worming. Close trimming, affecting printed marginal notes. Early leather binding (spine repaired), with clasps. Damage to binding.

Yosef Athias presumably began printing the book around the year 1677 (the approbation from the Council of Four Lands and the ban against printing this translation for sixteen years following the printing of the book are dated 1677 and 1678). However, another translation of the Bible was printed concurrently in Amsterdam by Uri Phoebus HaLevi, in 1676-1679 (see previous item), leading to a dispute between the printers, each one accusing the other of copyright infringement. This dispute between the two printers is alluded to in rhyming verses in the center of the second title page, as well as in the "translator's apologia" at the beginning of the book. For further information regarding the controversy surrounding this printing, see: A.M. Habermann, Perakim BeToldot HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, pp. 300-310. These two translations are considered the first Yiddish translations of the Bible.

CB, no. 1179; Zedner, p. 100; Roest, p. 171.

Five Books of the Torah – HeChatzer HaChadashah, tikun sofrim, with commentaries of Rashi and Abarbanel, and additions by R. Shaul Rabbi of Amsterdam. Amsterdam: Leib Zusmans, 1768. Five volumes.

Five-volume set in original elegant leather bindings, with rich gilt decorations and original colorful endpapers. All volumes contain an illustrated half-title page featuring a copper engraving (by the artist Aaron Santcroos), with illustrations of scenes from the Amsterdam synagogue and captions of verses about Samuel and Abraham, alluding to the names of the publishers, "agents of the Ashkenazi community". 

Zedner, p. 111.

Leshon Limudim, grammatical work by R. David ibn Yachya. Constantinople: Eliezer son of Gershom Soncino, 1542.

Despite the statement on the title page that the author's son agreed to print the book "for a second time", the present book is the third edition (previously printed in Constantinople in 1506 and 1520).

Colophon on last leaf: "This magnificent book was completed on 3rd Nisan 1542… just as G-d granted us the merit to complete it, so may G-d grant us the merit to complete Tehillah LeDavid by the author of this book, and many other books…" (Tehillah LeDavid appears to have never been completed by its author; see: Ben Yaakov, Otzar HaSefarim, p. 616, no. 46).

On last leaf, signatures of censors Domenico Jerosolimitano and Domenico Carretto (second signature dated 1608).

[45] leaves. 20 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including dampstains (dark stains to title page). Worming, affecting text. Close trimming, slightly affecting text of several leaves. New binding.

Zichron Torat Moshe, index of rabbinic passages in both Talmudim, Midrashim and early books, by R. Moshe Piccio. Constantinople: [Moshe son of Elazar Parnas HaRofe], 1554. First edition.

The year of printing is given as 1554 on the title page, while the colophon on p. [132a] is dated 11th Tamuz 1553 (another colophon on p. [170b], lacking in the present copy, is dated 8th Elul 1553).

On last leaf, signature of censor Camillo Jaghel, dated 1617.

Handwritten references in margins and within text on most leaves. Several glosses.

[171] leaves. Missing 3 leaves towards the end of the book (leaves [170], [172]-[173]). 31.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including large, dark dampstains, and traces of former dampness with light mold stains. Worming, tears and open tears to title page and other leaves, affecting text, partially repaired with paper filling. Some leaves in several places may have been supplied from another copy. Stamp. New leather binding.

On the printer, see: A. Yaari, HaDefus HaIvri BeKushta, no. 154; Yosef Hacker, Areshet, V, p. 484. On a copy with variants to title page and other pages, see: Yitzchak Rivkind, Dikdukei Sefarim, Kiryat Sefer, IV, 1927-1928, p. 277, no. 31.

Provenance: Christie's, Amsterdam, December 1990, Lot 396.

CB, no. 6463,1; Zedner, p. 573.