Hebrew. PENTATEUCH). Chamishah Chumshei Torah

AUCTION 19 | Tuesday, March 11th, 2003 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts and Works of Graphic Art

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Lot 51

(BIBLE

Hebrew. PENTATEUCH). Chamishah Chumshei Torah

ONE OF 850 COPIES printed on Van Gelder paper. Typeface designed by Marcus Behmer. Woodcut decorative title in blue, brown and black. Initial word of each of the Five Books surrounded by arabesques and printed in brown and black, few verses and single words printed in red Lightly browned, trace foxed on first and last few leaves. Modern boards. Folio

Berlin: Officina Serpentis for the Soncino Gesellschaft 1931-33

Est: $500 - $700

PRICE REALIZED $1,300

The most ambitious undertaking of the Soncino Gesellschaft der Freunde des juedischen Buches. The Bible was printed with a new typeface designed by Marcus Behmer and styled on the Prague Hagadah of Gershom Kohen. “It ranks among the most beautiful Hebrew books ever printed.” The intended completion of the entire Bible was aborted due to the rise of Nazism. See A.J. Karp, Library of Congress Catalogue pp. 31-34 (illustrated); L. Avrin, The Art of the Hebrew Book in the Twentieth Century, in: New York Public Library Catalogue, A Sign and a Witness (1988) p.135 (illustrated)