Sefer Michlol, grammar of the Holy Tongue, by R. David Kimchi – the Radak, annotated by R. Eliyahu Ashkenazi [Bachur]. Venice: Cornelio Adelkind by Daniel Bomberg, 1545.

Small format. A large format edition was printed concurrently.

Signature on title page: "Joannes Dee 1565" – signature of English mathematician, astronomer and astrologer John Dee (1527-1608), who also studied alchemy and magic. Dee served as astronomer and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, and his was one of the largest private libraries in England at the time.

239, 238-268, [1] leaves. 15 cm. Decorated and colored edges. Good condition. Stains. Parchment binding with gilt decorations.

CB, no. 4821,41; Zedner, p. 199; Roest p. 297.

Kaftor VaFerach, about Eretz Israel and the laws pertaining to it, by R. Eshtori HaParchi. Venice: Meir son of Yaakov Parenzo, [1548?]. First edition.

First rabbinic study of Eretz Israel and its borders. R. Eshtori son of R. Moshe HaParchi, a Spanish and Provençal Torah scholar in the times of the Ramban, who lived in and toured Eretz Israel for seven years, studied its sites and clarified its laws. This work is the primary source for those researching the Torah's boundaries of Eretz Israel, and for the study of the commandments pertaining to the land.

Printer's device of Meir son of Yaakov Parenzo on title page: a seven-branched menorah with knobs and flowers, with captions on the side alluding to the printer's name (bottom of illustration damaged and lacking; see: A. Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, Jerusalem 1944, no. 14; note on p. 128).

Censorship expurgations by ink and scraping (entire lines deleted on one leaf).

Handwritten inscriptions, glosses and corrections in margins and within text in several places (in Italian script).

24, 24-95, 95-109, 200-209, 300-309, 400-444, 444-447, [2] leaves. Leaves 433-436 misordered. 21 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dark dampstains and traces of former dampness, with mold stains. Tears and open tears, including open tear to bottom of title page, affecting printer's device, and large tears to several leaves, affecting text in many places, repaired with paper (with handwritten text replacements). Worming to last leaves. New binding.

On last page – signatures of censors: Antonio Francesco Enriques d'Urbino, dated 1687; Domenico Gerosolimitano (undated); Alessandro Scipione, dated 1597?; Domenico Carretto, dated 1618.

CB, no. 5038,1.

Chazut Kashah, on the fundamentals of faith and the attitude to philosophy, by R. Yitzchak Arama – the Akedah. Sabbioneta: Partners for Toviah Foa, 1551. First edition.

Handwritten inscription and illustration on p. 30a.

38 leaves. 20.5 cm. Varying condition, good-fair to fair. Stains. Small marginal tears to several leaves. Extensive worming to approx. 12 last leaves, affecting text. New binding.

Contains leaves 31-38 with index, lacking in most copies.

On leaf 38 appears the printer's device of R. Yosef Shalit, founder of the Hebrew press in Mantua, along with his partner R. Yaakov son of Naftali HaKohen of Gazzuolo (in the press of Toviah Foa) – a shield depicting a peacock standing on three mountains, with a fish or worm in its beak. The four sides of the picture contain the initials of "Yosef son of Yaakov Shalit". See: Avraham Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, Jerusalem 1944, pp. 12, 132-133.

On the book, see: Sarah Heller-Willensky, R. Yitzchak Arama UMishnato, Jerusalem 1956, pp. 28-29.

CB, no. 5312,1; Zedner, p. 374; Roest, p. 481.

Tashbetz, rulings and customs of R. Meir (Maharam) of Rothenburg, by his disciple R. Shimshon son of R. Tzadok. Cremona: Vincenzo Conti, 1556. First edition.

This work, which became known as Tashbetz Katan, is considered an important source whose rulings are presented as law by the Shulchan Aruch and other halachic authorities. It was common in manuscript and became one of the most important halachic books in Germany. Reputedly, the author – a disciple of the Maharam of Rothenburg – recorded his halachic rulings during the latter's imprisonment. The present book is the first edition of the work (the second edition was printed only some 300 years later, in Lemberg, 1858). The present title page records the name of the author (disciple of the Maharam) as R. "Shmuel son of R. Tzadok", but it is commonly accepted that his name was Shimshon (this is also the conclusion of the Chida in his entry in Shem HaGedolim).

Title page illustrated with fine engraving.

[6], 55 leaves. 19 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming in many places, affecting text, partially repaired with tape. New binding.

CB, no. 7245,1; Zedner, p. 670.

Chizkuni, commentary on the Five Books of the Torah by R. Chizkiyah son of Manoach. Cremona: Vincenzo Conti, 1559.

First edition of the work printed independently (it was first printed as part of the Chumash edition printed by Daniel Bomberg in 1524).

Copy of kabbalist R. David Grünhut, with his signature on title page (partially trimmed): "G-d granted me this, David son of R. Natan Grünhut Heimerdin[gen], residing here, Wiesbaden, appointed over Idstein". Under his signature is a handwritten inscription noting a difficulty in Parashat Toldot. Another (trimmed) gloss on the topic in fact appears in Parashat Toldot (p. 28b).

Inscription at top of second leaf on meter of the poem printed there, with the poem hand vocalized.

R. David Grünhut (d. 1723) was a famous kabbalist who served as Rabbi of Aue and Wiesbaden and was a Torah scholar of Frankfurt am Main. He authored Tov Ro'i on the laws of shechitah, and Migdol David on the Torah (both printed together, Frankfurt 1702), and edited and published several books, including the first printed edition of Seder HaGilgulim by R. Chaim Vital, with his glosses (Frankfurt, 1684). During a conference of rabbis of Frankfurt in 1682, a ruling had been issued prohibiting R. David from publishing Sefer HaGilgulim "due to danger", but the publisher did not heed the prohibition and printed the book, explaining his refusal in the introduction.

On last leaf: "Proofread meticulously by Vittorio Eliano, grandson of the chief grammarian R. Eliyahu Bachur Ashkenazi Segal". On bottom of last leaf, printing license in Italian.

1-154, 157, [1] leaves. Does not contain leaves 155-156 (see below). 18.5 cm. Most leaves in good-fair condition. Stains. Open tears to first two leaves, affecting text, repaired with paper filling (with photocopy replacement). New binding.

Does not contain leaves 155-156 of Haazinu, which severely criticize the nations of the world, and were removed by the censor from most copies (see: M. Benayahu, HaDefus HaIvri BeCremona, Jerusalem 1971, pp. 210-211).

CB, no. 4746,2; Zedner, p. 287.