Four Spanish prayer books, printed in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries, for the use of members of the local Sephardic community, descendants of the Marranos; one bound with calendar and Five Books of the Torah in Spanish:

• Orden de las oraciones cotidianas, por estilo seguido y corriente, con las de Hanucah, Purim y ayuno del solo [year-round prayer book, with prayers for Chanukah, Purim and fast days], followed by calendar for 1687-1707. Amsterdam: David Tartas, 1669. Spanish.

Bound with:

Cinco libros de la ley divina con las Aphtarot de todo el año [Five Books of the Torah with year-round haftarot], with divisional title page for haftarot. Amsterdam: David Tartas, 1691. Spanish.

On divisional title page for haftarot, the year is given as 1697. This may be an error for 1691, which appears on the Torah section's title page.

Siddur: 615, [1] pages. Calendar: [24] pages. Torah: [1], 436, [3], [1], [433]-558 pages. 15 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Light wear. Marginal tears to several leaves. Worming to some leaves, slightly affecting text. Close trimming, slightly affecting title frames. Early leather binding, with clasps (one broken and detached), and repaired leather spine. Binding torn in middle of spine (with the book divided into two parts).

Rare edition. The prayer book is not recorded in the NLI catalogue.

• Orden de Los cinco ayunos [order of prayers for five fast days]. Amsterdam: David Tartas, 1695. Spanish.

358 pages. 16.5 cm. Gilt edges (somewhat faded). Most leaves in good condition. Stains. Signs of use. Large open tear to lower part of last leaf, affecting text. Early leather binding, with original color endpapers and clasp (second clasp lacking). Damage to binding.

• Orden de Ros-Asanah y Kipur [order of prayers for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur]. Amsterdam: Yshak de Cordova, 1706. Spanish.

The printer, Yshak de Cordova, was the son of the printer R. Yaakov Chaim de Cordova of Brazil.

[2], 44, 49-369, 380-392, 395-456 pages. Mispagination. 14.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears, including open tears affecting text on several leaves. Verso of title page repaired with paper. New binding.

• Orden de las oraciones de Ros-Asanah y Kipur [order of prayers for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur]. Amsterdam: Selomoh Proops, 1717. Spanish.

Title page illustrated with fine engraving, depicting biblical scenes involving women (featuring Rachel, Deborah, Hannah and others). The top of the title page depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, while the bottom of the title page depicts the Children of Israel leaving Egypt, with the caption (in Spanish): "In the merit of righteous women we left Egypt" (this siddur was evidently printed for women).

440 pages. 15 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Tears, including small open tears affecting text on several leaves. Early leather binding, with original color endpapers, and gilt decorations on spine. Wear and damage to binding (spine partially detached).

Amsterdam had a large Sephardic community in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of its members were descendants of Marranos who came from Spain and Portugal about a century after the expulsion. The present prayer books were printed for the use of those descendants of Marranos, who were not fluent in Hebrew.