(RaDa’K). Sepher Michlol [grammar]

AUCTION 20 | Monday, June 02nd, 2003 at 5:00

Important Hebrew Printed Books from the Library of the Late Salman Schocken (1877-1959)

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Lot 19

KIMCHI, DAVID BEN JOSEPH

(RaDa’K). Sepher Michlol [grammar]

Third edition (the first two editions entirely unknown to Steinschneider). Title within attractive four-part ornamental border. Printed in two columns ff. (64). Few light stains in places, neat marginal repairs to a few leaves, extensive annotations in a 17th-century Aschkenazic hand on front-and rear-free endpapers, scattered marginal annotations. Recent vellum. Folio Vinograd, Const. 149; Yaari, Const. 118; Mehlman 1252; Adams K-48

Constantinople: Eliezer ben Gershom Soncino (1533)

Est: $3,000 - $5,000

PRICE REALIZED $7,000

The Michlol was David Kimchi’s chief grammatical work. It is divided into two parts; a grammar and a dictionary of the roots of Biblical words. The Michlol treats verbs comprehensively, covering the rules governing conjugation, changes of pronunciation and accents. It also contains complete tables of conjugations and is distinguished by the clarity of its style and its conciseness. Indeed, these qualities resulted in the Michlol’s supremacy over previous works and has been considered the leading grammitical work for centuries. See: M. Waxman, Vol. I, p. 179. This copy contains the signatures of various owners from the 17th-19th Centuries including: R. Noah Meir Bahran on recto of opening free end paper; R. Chaim (Bumsla?) on the title page and R. Moses...of Lvov on the first leaf. The front- and rear-free endpapers contain a listing of the books in the owner’s library as well as some lengthl, interesting notes of a halachic, aggadic and grammatical nature, in a 19th-century Ashkenazic hand. The notes cite, among others, R. Yoshia Pinto, R. Moses Alsheich, the Milim L’elokah (Berlin, 1760), etc.