Hebrew). Arba’ah Ve’esrim [Pentateuch, Early Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Writings]

AUCTION 65 | Thursday, June 25th, 2015 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts, Ceremonial Objects and Graphic Art

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Lot 67

(BIBLE.

Hebrew). Arba’ah Ve’esrim [Pentateuch, Early Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Writings]

Four volumes. Edited by Felix Pratensis with commentaries including Rashi, R. David Kimchi, Nachmanides, Gersonides, Aramaic Targumim, etc. Divisional titles. Large woodcut head-pieces, initial letters of each Book within ornamental headings. << WITH:>> The exceptionally scarce leaf by R. David Kimchi: Teshuvoth LaNotzrim [“Responses to Christians.”] See F. Talmage, Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver (1999), p. 213. <<Vol. I:>> ff. 133 (of 134) lacking final blank. Bound in at the end is the Five Megiloth (ff. 25 of 26, lacking final blank) and the additional material concerning Targum Yerushalmi, Targum Sheni for Esther; list of Haftoroth, (ff. 15, of 16 lacking final blank); Thirteen Principles of Maimonides; 613 precepts and grammatical matters (ff. 8). This material usually bound at the end of the fourth volume. Also bound at the end here is the rare unnumbered leaf of David Kimchi’s Teshuvoth Le’Notzrim (as opposed to the end of Psalms). Partions of title and following leaf in facsimile, upper margins frayed and soiled, some staining, marginal repairs affecting text in places, a few leaves supplied from another copy. <<Vol. II:>> ff. 120 (complete). Some staining and soiling, upper margin trimmed affecting headings, final four signatures. from another copy. <<Vol. III:>> ff. 180 (complete). Three leaves supplied from a shorter copy, some staining. <<Vol. IV:>> ff. 233 (of 236), including the final leaves bound in Vol. I as noted above. Lacking three blanks: following Divrei Hayamim, Megiloth and Haftoroth. Six leaves supplied from a shorter copy, some staining, repaired worming, marginal paper repairs in places, previous owners’ inscriptions and stamps. Modern calf. Folio. Vinograd, Venice 6; Mehlman 25 and 1227; Haberman, Bomberg 8; Adams B-1216; Darlow & Moule 5083.

Venice: Daniel Bomberg 1517

Est: $40,000 - $60,000

PRICE REALIZED $40,000

<<Editio Princeps of the Great Rabbinic Bible.>> A complete set (except for few blanks). This tremendously important work, the first Biblia Rabbinica, was published by Daniel Bomberg, the Aldo of Hebrew printing and edited by the convert Felix Pratensis. Although he utilized the Brescia Bible of 1493, Pratensis consulted many additional manuscripts for his redaction, hence this 1517 edition made an important contribution to textual criticism. As a result, various readings and masoretic glosses, as well as the Jerusalem Targum of the Pentateuch and the Targum of the Prophets and Hagiographia appear for the first time. Also for the first time in a Hebrew Bible, the chapter numbers appear in the margin and the Books of Samuel, Kings, Ezra-Nechemiah and Chronicles are divided each into two separate Books. “<<The importance of this edition can hardly be overstated>> ” (C. D. Ginsburg). See D. S. Berkowitz, In Remembrance of Creation (1968), no. 165.