(Selichoth) [penitential prayers according to Aschkenazi rite]

(LITURGY)

Gershom Soncino

(Fano

c. 1505)

Printed without a title page. Initial text page enclosed by elaborate historiated woodcut border

Vinograd, Fano 10; not in Adams

Highly uncommon POST-INCUNABLE Although Steinschneider suggests the place of prining is Pesaro and the year 1519, the general consensus among most all other bibliographers is that this liturgical volume was printed in Fano, most likely in 1505. The rarity of this edition is indicated by the scholar Y. Y. Cohen in his article Selichot according to the Ashkenazic rite, in Sources and History, Jerusalem, 1982, pp. 175-182, was unable to locate this edition. Indeed, he cites the late 1536 and 1548 Augsberg and Venice editions as “apparently” the first Ashkenazic editions (p. 177). No copy of this work appear in the BODLEIAN Library, oxford. COPIES LOCATED IN THE LIBRARIES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM, JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY , NEW YORK, AND NATIONAL LIBRAY, JERUSALEM ARE INCOMPLETE, ALL LACKING SEVERAL more LEAVES than the present copy. THUS THE PRESENT SCHOCKEN COPY IS MOST LIKELY THE SINGLE MOST COMPLETE COPY EXTANT