(MAIMONIDES/RaMBa”M). Mishnah Torah [Rabbinic Code]

AUCTION 16 | Tuesday, June 25th, 2002 at 1:00

Important Hebrew Printed Books and Manuscripts From the Library of the London Beth Din

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Lot 190

MOSES BEN MAIMON.

(MAIMONIDES/RaMBa”M). Mishnah Torah [Rabbinic Code]

FIRST EDITION with commentary by Joseph Karo. With glosses including Abraham ben David of Posquieres (RAVa”D) and Levi ibn Chabib. Fourteen parts in three volumes. Four title pages, each with Bragadin’s device of Three Crowns, Meir Parenzo’s device of Venice and the Dragon on verso, and following the Table of Contents (the late) Asher Parenzo’s device of a Mountain rising from the Sea. Text illustrations. Final volume with first editon of the alphabetical index compiled by the School of Baruch Uziel. Final leaf with a poem in honor of one of Karo’s disciples, Abraham Hayug I: ff. (22),316; (10),219 (i.e. 218). Neat marginal repairs to title, first and last few leaves. II: ff. (20), 451, (1). Marginal repairs to title and first few leaves ,slightly affecting text in places, neat marginal repairs to last few leaves. III: ff. (10),297,(9). Paper repairs to title slightly affecting text, neat marginal repairs to first few leaves, marginalia. Dampstained. Later uniform elaborately blind-tooled mahogany morocco, sympathetically repaired, recently rebacked. Folio Vinograd, Venice 600; I.J. Dienstag, Mishneh Torah Leharambam, in: Studies...in Honor of I. Edward Kiev (1971) no. 10; Adams M-169

Venice: Meir Parenzo for Alvise Bragadin 1574-75

Est: $10,000 - $15,000

This important first edition with the Keseph Mishnah, contains a fore- and after-word that relates Moses Provencal of Mantua “whose net is spread till Safed” was the catalyst of the edition, encouraging and hastening Karo to complete the work for publication. Karo’s previous experience in publishing his Beth Yoseph had been disagreeable, for the printer went to press without waiting for the author’s corrections, which later had to be published separately. Rabbi Provencal’s prodding was not in vain for the afterword notes that Karo died before the publication was completed. Karo also used the agency of the great scholar and Kabbalist R. Menachem Azaria of Fano to ensure the perfection of the work. It is suggested that the Holy R’ma of Fano examined each volume upon publication