(MAIMONIDES / RaMBa”M). Mishneh Torah [Rabbinic Code]. Fourteen parts in two volumes

AUCTION 25 | Monday, October 25th, 2004 at 1:00
Important Hebrew Printed Books: The Property of a Gentleman

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Lot 40
MOSES BEN MAIMON

(MAIMONIDES / RaMBa”M). Mishneh Torah [Rabbinic Code]. Fourteen parts in two volumes

With glosses including Abraham ben David of Posquieres (RAVa”D), Migdal Oz by Shem Tov Gaon, Maggid Mishneh and Hagahoth Maimoni’oth. Titles within woodcut architectural arches. Opening words within woodcut floral vignette. Fourteen parts in two volumes I: ff.(1), 389, (6). II: ff. (1), 394-767. Marginal repairs to the title, stained in places, slight worming - mostly marginal affecting a few letters on a few leaves, some censoring. Signed by censors on final leaves. Previous owner’s marks. Modern calf over thick boards. Accompanied by a fitted, matching slipcase. One tall folio and one slightly smaller folio. Otherwise an especially handsome, wide margined copy Vinograd, Venice 96; Habermann, Bomberg 91; I.J. Dienstag, Mishneh Torah Leharamba”m, in: Studies...in Honor of I. Edward Kiev (1971), no. 7; not in Adams

Venice: Daniel Bomberg 1524-25

Est: $30,000 - $50,000
PRICE REALIZED $65,000
The fifth Maimonides edition. The second edition of Abraham ben David of Posquieres (RAVa”D). The first edition with Migdal Oz - together with the text for the entire work. The Migdal Oz by Shem Tov Gaon was previouslly published in the Constantinple edition however only on the section of Sepher Ahavah. The present copy contains the rare, unnumbered, scholarly, introductory leaf by the editor, R. David b. Eliezer HaLevi. Dienstag states that this leaf is missing from the majority of the copies of this editon that he examined. In his introduction, the editor sets out how he edited and corrected this edition. In certain cases he made no changes, even though he felt it was necessary, since he had in front of him five “sifrei Ramba"m” (i.e. manuscripts) all of which had the same reading. He does however present four examples of corrections made on his own initiative and the lengthy scholarly basis of his reasoning for doing so. This introduction has never republished