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

AUCTION 68 | Thursday, April 07th, 2016 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Ceremonial Objects and Graphic Art

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Lot 224

(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. <<Vol. I:>> ff. 131 (of 134), lacking final blank, title and f. 86 in facsimile. Bound in at end is additional material: Targum Yerushalmi, Targum Sheni for Esther, list of Haphtoroth, ff. 15 (of 16), lacking final blank; Thirteen Principles of Maimonides, 613 Precepts and grammatical matters, ff. 5 (of 8) ff. 5, 7 and 8 in facsimile. This material is commonly bound at the end of Vol. IV. Some staining, scattered marginalia, upper right corner of f. 5 in facsimile, marginal repairs slightly affecting text in places, a few leaves supplied from another copy. <<Vol. II:>> ff. 120 (complete). Previous owner’s inscription and signature on title, marginal repair on few leaves, some staining and soiling. <<Vol. III:>> ff. 180 (complete). Previous owner’s signature on f. 7 of sig. 4, neat inscription and signature in square letters dated 1779 on f. 1 of sig.18 (Yisachar ben Baba David), marginalia, stained with some marginal worming, repaired in places, slight censoring and taped repairs in places. <<Vol. IV:>> ff. 205 (of 236), lacking the Five Megiloth (ff. 26), two blanks following Divrei Hayamim and Haphtoroth, plus three leaves in facsimile (as noted above in vol. I). f. 2 of sig. 2 repaired affecting text (missing text supplied by another leaf inserted), some staining, slight worming repaired, a few leaves supplied from another copy, marginal paper repairs in places, previous owners’ inscriptions and stamps. Modern vellum-backed boards. Folio. Sold not subject to return. Vinograd, Venice 6; Mehlman 25 and 1227; Darlow & Moule 5083.

Venice: Daniel Bomberg 1517

Est: $20,000 - $25,000

<<Editio Princeps of the Great Rabbinic Bible.>> This tremendously important work, the first Biblia Rabbinica, was one of Daniel Bomberg’s tremendous achievements in the annals of printing. Although the editor utilized the Brescia Bible of 1493, he also consulted many additional manuscripts for this 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.