(TALMUD, BABYLONIAN).

Ambrosius Froben

Basle

1578-80

Twenty Basle Tractates, bound in fifteen volumes. Masechta Avoth. ff. 12. Vinograd, Basle 116. * Masechta Gittin. ff. 122. Vinograd, Basle 124. * Masechta Yevamoth. ff. 156. Vinograd, Basle 126. * Masechta Shevu’oth. ff. 68. Last page with signature of Shlomo Zalman ben Yehuda Leib Katz of Hanau. Vinograd, Basle 134. * Masechta Ta’anith. ff. 31, (6). Vinograd, Basle 135. * Masechta Bechoroth. ff. 70. Vinograd, Basle 144. * Masechta Zevachim. ff. 122. Vinograd, Basle 146. * Masechta Chagigah. ff. 28. Vinograd, Basle 147. * Masechta Kerithoth. ff. 28. Vinograd, Basle 149. * Masechta Menachoth. ff. 112. Vinograd, Basle 150. * Masechtoth Me’ilah, Kinim, Midoth, Tamid. ff. 38. Vinograd, Basle 151. * Masechta Nidah. ff. 90. Vinograd, Basle 154. * Masechta Erechin. ff. 36. Vinograd, Basle 157. * Masechta Temurah. ff. 12. Vinograd, Basle 159. * Masechta Sotah. ff. 56. Vinograd, Basle 130. Bound With: Masechta Nazir. ff. 77. Vinograd, Basle 153. And: Masechta Nedarim. ff. 120. Vinograd, Basle 152* Accompanied by: Mishnah. Seder Kodshim. ff. 47. Vinograd, Basle 120. * And: Mishnah. Seder Moed. ff. 53. With stamp of Moses Gaster. Vinograd, Basle 137.

Following the wanton destruction in Italy of vast numbers of Hebrew texts - especially Talmud volumes - the Basle humanist-printer Ambrosius Froben (grandson of Johannes Froben) was moved to issue a new edition of the Talmud to compensate for the losses experienced by the learned Jews of Italy. Due to Church-related censorship matters, not all Tractates were issued and so the set remained incomplete. See R. N. N. Rabinowitz, Ma’amar al Hadpassath HaTalmud pp. 74-79; M. J. Heller, Printing the Talmud (1992) pp. 241-65.