Auction 105 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Esther Scrolls and Jewish Ceremonial Art
Chazut Kashah (by Rabbi Yitzchak Arama) – Sabbioneta, 1551 – With Rare Index Leaves – First Edition – Variant
Opening: $400
Sold for: $2,250
Including buyer's premium
Chazut Kashah, on the fundamentals of faith and the attitude to philosophy, by R. Yitzchak Arama – author of Akedat Yitzchak. Sabbioneta: partners for Toviah Foa, 1551. First edition.
Censorship expurgations to several leaves.
The present book represents a heretofore unknown variant – on the last leaf, the printer's device of Yosef Shalit includes the curse "may his name and memory be erased". These words do not appear in other copies we examined, nor in his printer's device as printed in other books. This was probably added during the printing of the book, perhaps by one of the employees of the press, but the motive for invoking such a harsh curse remains unclear (some kind of printers' dispute may have been involved). Next to these printed words, someone added the Biblical imprecation: "a vain curse comes upon the utterer" (this inscription is partially deleted).
38 leaves. 18.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Bottom edges of title page trimmed, slightly affecting illustrated frame. Bookplate. Old binding, with defects (spine torn and partially lacking).
On verso of last leaf,
signature of censor Giovanni Domenico Carretto
, dated 1629.
signature of censor Giovanni Domenico Carretto
, dated 1629.
The present copy contains leaves 31-38 of index, lacking in most copies.
Provenance: Collection of Prof. Jordan S. Penkower.
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries