Sefer HaYashar, stories and aggadot on the Five Books of the Torah and parts of the Books of Yehoshua and Shoftim. Venice: Giovanni Calleoni, 1625. First edition.

On title page: "Contains stories and legends of the Rabbis on the Five Books of the Torah and some of the Books of Yehoshua and Shoftim, written clearly and sweetly to attract the hearts of people to recognize the wonders of G-d and His kindnesses".

Sefer HaYashar is an anonymous work surveying the history of the Jewish people from the forefathers through the era of the judges. The book is mainly arranged on the Torah portions of Bereshit, and a little on the other Torah portions, Yehoshua and Shoftim.

The book begins with an introduction by the publisher – R. Yosef son of R. Shmuel Katan, who also added glosses, notes and concluding remarks.

The work's anonymous introduction relates the history of the work, from Jerusalem "until it reached us… in exile in Napoli… And since we saw the virtue of this book… we made efforts to print it" (this was apparently printed in order to give the book a semblance of antiquity).

158, [1] leaves. Lacking last leaf with approbations of rabbis and license of authorities to printing (in Italian). 18.5 cm. Fair condition. Many stains, including dark stains and dampstains. Wear. Tears and open tears to title page and several other leaves, affecting title frame and slightly affecting text, repaired with paper (title page mounted on thick paper). Several leaves and gatherings partially detached. Close trimming, affecting title frame. Early binding, damaged.

The present copy is of the common version of the book, which, at the request of the rabbis of Venice, has the text of the title page changed, several sentences are omitted from the introductions, and the poem and count of verses at the end are omitted entirely. The change was meant to negate the impression that this was the Biblical Sefer HaYashar or another ancient Second Temple era text. A few rare copies are extant with the original printed text of the title page and introductions (for a description of such a copy, see: Y. Yudlov, Ginzei Yisrael, Jerusalem 1985, p. 206, no. 1285).

CB, no. 3581; Zedner, p. 116.