Sunday, March 3, 2013

A collection of Sephardi Imprints


These books sat in boxes in my office for almost a year before I cataloged them. Perhaps it shows my limitations, but I found the task intimidating. A single book in a new field may present a challenge to the cataloger, but one book is just one book. These books (along with others that proved below the standards that I apply to the materials that I offer to the broad public) represent a body of work from an area of Jewish culture much less familiar to me than my usual areas of focus. Having done the work and spent my time with these books I am ready to let them move on, a more worldly man for the effort.

Condition in general is OK but never superlative. If you know me you will know that I do my best to be honest in my descriptions. Images of all of the books are present. Images of the bindings are presented in cases where I felt that a picture was more descriptive than I was able to master with words. Title pages are illustrated throughout. Where there are multiple works bound together all of the title pages are included. Those not as familiar with Judaica might wonder why title-pages rather than bindings. The field of book collecting has developed a "thing" about the exterior of books, however, most older Jewish books look like generic older bindings. They hide their light under a basket. I wouldn't say that you can't learn from their bindings. I will now have a better sense of Sephardi-ness in a binding, but it is a subtle sometimes thing. Thus, title-pages predominate below. 

These titles are not listed on any online sites or in the online inventory of the hollanderbooks.com website. If you are interested in any of these please contact me directly. A large part of the group has now been sold. However, those not marked as sold are still available.


Abulafia, Isaac ben Moses. Sefer Pene Yitshak: Helek Hamishi. Izmir, Be-Defus shel Hayim Avraham di Shigurah, 1897/98 [?]. Quarto, sunned green quarter cloth with gold lettering, edgeworn and mildly shelfworn marbled paper covered boards, vi, 461 pp. [3, 231 leaves],  Hardbound. Very Good. In Hebrew. The fifth of five volumes. (68020)      $195.00


Alba'ali, Yitshak. Sefer Amar Yitshak: ...al Shas Bavli ... Izmir, Ba-defus shel Hayim Avraham Deshen, 1897/98. Quarto, brown cloth spine, purple and white marbled paper covers, pastedown endpapers soiled from a repair meant to retain the free endpapers which the lack of said endpapers shows was a failed effort, 82 pp. [41 leaves] Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew (68014)     Sold

Alba'ali, Yitshak. Sefer Ene Yitshak: ... al ma'amre agadot ha-Shas ... u-ketsat sh. u-t. u-derushim ... Izmir, Ba-defus shel H. A. di Sigurah, 1902/3 [or 1907/8]. Quarto, disbound but otherwise complete, in-tact and in very good condition, 161 pp. [81 leaves] Softbound. Fair. In Hebrew.  Online cataloging indicates that date 1902/3. However, I think that there is a possibility that the original cataloger ignored a letter in the chronogram. (68007)      Sold

Algranati,  Nisim Isaac. Sefer Hokhmah me-ayin: ... derushim. Izmir, Bi-defus A. Pontrimoli ve Y. Poli, 1881/2. Quarto, quarter brown leather with gold lettering and with chipping at the ends, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, both boards have chips to the top open corners, free front endpaper with about a quarter lost, 268 pp. [134 leaves] Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. (68019)      Sold

Alnakavah, Yom Tov. Sefer Shevitat Yom Tov: miktsat she'elot u-teshuvot al seder arba'ah Turim ... hidushim ... derushim ... Saloniki, Bi-defus David Yisra'eligah u-Mordekhai Nahman, 1788. Quarto, quarter leather spine with only traces of the back-strip remaining, edgeworn marbled paper covers, iv, 326 pp. [2, 163 leaves], with a tear and old repairs to the final leaf with some letters covered over. Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew (68021)      Sold

Arolio, Abraham ibn  and arranged with additions by Arolio, Hayyim Isaac Mattithias ben Abraham ibn. Sefer mayim ha-hayim. Saloniki, Seudya ha-Levi Askenazi,, 1846. Quarto, quarter brown leather spine with large chips at the spine ends, edgeworn patterned paper covered boards, iv, 220 pp. [2, 110 leaves]. Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. (68016)      Sold


Ashkenazi, Mikhael. Zeh Sefer Em ha-derekh. Bound with two additional works cataloged below. Saloniki, Be-Defus Hayim Yakhbets, 1900. Quarto, rebacked, black cloth spine, blue cloth covered boards with some scuffs, 100, 20 pp., some paper repairs at the corner of the title page and some yellowing from water-staining to the last two leaves [included to additional leaves not noted in the OCLC description), iv, photos of the author as a younjger and older man, 128, 136 pp., errata at the end of the first section and some Arabic styled Hebrew pen notes in the margins of the first page of the second part,  iv, 216 pp., errata, foxing to the title page and last few pages. All of the three works are printed on mixed paper stocks, some still bright white, others yellowed and with some foxing as previously noted.  Hardbound. Very Good. In Hebrew. Bound with "Sefer Hoshen ha-efod." David ben Avraham Pipano, Salonika - Sofia, Istampariah, Rahamim Shimonov, 1915 and "Zeh Sefer Mateh La-H"M Ah'e H'e.," Hayim Menahem, Constantinople, Imprimerie A. Nomismatides, 1902.
          The first two works are uncommon. The last work appears to be quite uncommon with only one copy located in the National Library of Israel. (68008)
          The illustrations above are in the order of appearance in the volume.

     Sold

Bikayam, Meir ben Halifa; Zacuto, Moses ben Mordecai. Sefer Me'ir bat Ayin: ve-hu hibur ve-or al helek rishon me-En Ya'akov im hakdamat ha-or ha-mufla maran de-mehemnuta ha-Ari z.l.h.h. u-mishnehu ha-r. H.V. z.l.h.h. Izmir, Bi-defus Yehudah ben David Hazan, 1755. Octavo, quarter brown leather spine with remnants of a hand-written label and with minor chipping at the base of the spine, mottled and worn leather and paper covered boards with rough wear at the bottom open corner of the front board, iv, 215 [2, 108 leaves] with minor loss to the final leaf . Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. (68024)
The first illustrations shows the variagated materials covering this book and the second shows the title page.
Bikayam was a kabbalist and a secret Sabbatean.

   Sold

 de Boton, David ben Judah. Sefer Yad David: Yoreh de'ah. Saloniki, Bi-defus Sa'adi ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1859. Quarto, quarter leather spine torn across about an inch down from the head of the spine, edgeworn all around, 310 pp. [155 leaves], leaf 53 partially loose, leaves 141-142 loose, the final two leaves are attached but were resown in at some long ago time in a crude way that makes a few lines of text hard to read. Hardbound. Fair. In Hebrew. (68049)      Sold

Frangi, Hayim Menahem. Sefer Yismah Lev. Helek Bet. Izmir, Bi-defus Ben Tsiyon Binyamin Roditi, 1878. Quarto, mildly worn quarter leather with slight chipping at the head of the spine, black cloth covered boards, new butcher paper endpapers, 146, 242 pp. [73, 121 leaves], yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good-. In Hebrew (68050)      $180.00

Fransiya, David. Sefer Efod Bad  ... derashot. Izmir, Ba-defus shel Hayim Avraham de Segura, 1862 or 1863. Quarto, light brown quarter leather, edgeworn and soiled decorative paper covered boards, pink endpapers, free endpapers wrinkled, iv, 253 pp. [2, 127 leaves] Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. (68011)
  Illustrations show the title page and the second illustration shows the opening page which boasts a wood-cut headpiece.

 Sold


Fresko, Mosheh. Sefer Yadav shel Mosheh: ... Yad bi-teshuvah... Yadayim sheniyot ... Yad al yad ... Yadayim askaniyot ... Saloniki, Bi-defus Sa'adi ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1811/2. Quarto, quarter brown lettering with the remnants of a hand-written paper label and with slight worming, worn and rumpled black paper covered boards, lacking the free endpapers and with soiling to the pastedowns, iv, 422 pp. [2, 211 leaves] with wear to the corners od the first few and last few leaves without effect on the text, water-staining to the first two leaves. Hardbound. Fair. In Hebrew
Illustration shows the wear at the corners and soiling.
(68036)      Sold

Gatinyo, Benvenisti Merkado. Sefer mehashkim kesef. Saloniki, Di-defus yetame ... Betsalel ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1839. Small quarto, rebacked in black cloth spine with dark blue cloth covered boards, substantial crude rapairs to the title page, 204 pp. [102 leaves], substantial repairs to the final page with some areas of loss.  Hardbound. Fair. In Hebrew. An uncommon work. The repairs are obvious and amateurish but the relative rarity of the book makes it worthwhile even as is. Illustrations show the title page and final leaf as well as illustration of a sample page from the text-block. From that one can see the tremendous variance between the damaged out leaves and rest of the volume. (68023)     Sold

Ginzburg, Joseph. Sefer Itim le-vinah. Warsaw, Be-Defus R. Yitshak Goldman, 1886. Octavo, scuffed black leather spine, soiled black cloth covered boards with rubbing to the corners, free front endpaper replaced, 432 pp., fold-out color decorative chronological chart, fold-out with eight diagrams relating to the relative positions of the Earth and the Sun, with chronological charts that run up to the year 2400.  Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. (68009)
This title is a ringer in this list, but a very interesting title. It combines a Jewish interest in Astrology and the calendar. As can be seen from the illustrations there is a very scientific cast to the interest. After the title page the first of two fold-out is illustrated. The third and fourth illustrations are of the same large fold-out plate. Its size exceeded that of my scanner. SOLD

Ibn Naim, Rahaman H. M. Sefer Sh. u-t. Rahamim peshutim: ve-hu ketsat teshuvot me-reshitve-lo kol reshit ... Tunis, Bi-defus Kastro, 1909 or 1910. Quarto, quarter red leather spine with mild wear, marbled paper covered boards with mild edgewear, lacking the free front endpaper, cracked at the hinges, 190, 54 pp. [95, 27 leaves] Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. Inscribed at the base of the title page by the son of the author. (68018)     Sold

Matsliah, Hayim Mosheh. Sefer Em ha-banim: a.s. parashiyot u-pesuke Tanakh u-ma'amare Raza"l u-midrashe, derushim ... Izmir, N. Ts. Binyamin Roditi, 1881/2. Quarto, soiled black cloth spine, marbled paper covered boards with minor edgewear, endpapers cracked at the hinges, ii, 348 pp. [1, 174 leaves], yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good-. In Hebrew. (68022)      Sold

Medini, Hayyim Hezekiah. Sefer Or li: zeh sefer ma'aseh yede ... [she'elot u-teshuvot] ... Izmir, Bi-defus Aharon Ye'oshu'a di Sigorah ve-haverav, 1874. Quarto, worn quarter leather with gold lettering, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, endpapers cracked at the hinges, vi, 293 pp. [3, 147 leaves]. Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. Written in memory of the author's son who passed away in the author's lifetime. (68033)      Sold

Menahem ben Shimon Mordekhai. Sefer Divre Menahem: al divre Rabenu ha-Tur le-helek O.h. Saloniki, Bi-defus Sa'ady. ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1866. Quarto, worn quarter brown leather with a minor chip and the head of the spine, edgeworn and shelfworn marbled paper covered boards, endpapers soiled and cracked at the hinges, ii, 280 pp., [1, 140 leaves] Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. (68028)      Sold

Menasheh, Refa'el Ya'akov. Sefer Ohel Ya'akov. Salonika, Bi-defus Betsalel ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1831/2. Small octavo, worn half-leather with wear to the edges and with traces of worming to the leather, worn decorative paper covered boards, lacking free endpapers ( a stub of what might have been an original paper cover remains near the rear hinge), Judeo-Arabic inscription on the title page, 220 pp. [110 leaves], leaves 27 & 28 partially loose. Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. (68046)     Sold

Mizrahi, Hayim Meir. Zeh Sefer Ben Yair. Izmir, Bi-defus A. Y. Di Shigurah va-havero, 1876/7. Quarto, quarter leather spine with gold lettering, with some wear and mild chipping at the base of the spine, edgeworn and soiled decorative paper covered boards, endpapers cracked at the hinge, some loss to the front pastedown endpaper, pencil notes on the free front endpaper, 314 pp. [157 leaves], lacking the rear free endpaper. Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. (68025)      Sold

Palache, Hayyim [Hayim Palag'i]. Sefer Birkat mo'adekha le-Hayim. Izmir, Bi-defus A. Y. Di Shigurah va-havero, 1868. Octavo, quarter brown leather with gold lettering and some worming, edgeworn and shelfworn dull decorative paper covered boards, xii, 336 pp.  [6, 168 leaves], lacking the endpapers. Hardbound. Very Good. In Hebrew. The third of three volumes. The first dealt with Bereshit and the second Shemot. Both of those volumes were published in 1840 in Saloniki. (68030)      $195.00
Palache, Hayyim [Hayim Palag'i]. Sefer Tokhahat Hayim: al seder ha-parashiyot ... H[elek] G[imel]. [Va-yikra. Ba-midbar. Devarim.]. Izmir, Ben Tsiyon Benyamin Roditi, 1874. Octavo, quarter brown leather with gold lettering some chipping and tearing towards the base of the spine with some worming, edgeworn and shelfworn marbled paper covered boards, iv, 318 pp.  [2, 159 leaves], lacking the rear free endpaper. Hardbound. Very Good. In Hebrew. (68029)
The majority of the Palache family was in the Nethrlands from the 16th century. Hayim and his son Abraham were important members of the Izmir community. $180.00

Palache, Abraham [Palag'i, Avraham]. Sefer Padah et Avraham. Izmir, Ba-defus shel Hayim Avraham Deshen, 1890/1. Quarto, soiled red cloth with black lettering, boards covered partially with remnants of decorative paper, lacking the free front endpaper, iv, 54, 228, 20 pp. [2, 27, 114, 10 leaves], rear endpaper cracked at the hinge. Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. (68035)
   $180.00


Palache, Abraham [Palag'i, Avraham]. Sefer Yosef et ehav: zeh sefer toldot adam katan ... [A shorter work, bound with "Petah Ha-Sha'ar s' shemo Avraham H'V," also by Palag'i, Izmir, Mordekhai Yitshak Karki, 1868 (?)]. Izmir, Mordekhai Yitshak Karki, 1895/6. Quarto, rebacked, black cloth spine, dark blue cloth covered boards, title page and final leaf with minor repairs, ii, 82 pp. [1, 41 leaves], iv, 156, 168 pp. [2, 78, 84 leaves], yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. In  Hebrew (68026)      Sold
Palag'i, Avraham [Palache, Abraham]. Sefer Ve-Avraham zaken. Izmir, Bi-Defus Hayim Avraham de Segurah, 1898/9. Quarto, quarter brown leather, marbled paper covered boards, 62, 102 pp., [31, 51 leaves]. Hardbound. Very Good-. In Hebrew. (68048)      Sold

Palag'i, Rahamim Nisim Yitshak [Palache]. Sefer Yafeh la-lev: Tishi'e'ah [Ninth and final volume]. Izmir, Ba-defus shel Hayim Avraham de Segura, 1906[?]. Quarto, quarter brown leather with gold lettering, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, endpapers cracked at the hinges, free endpapers with a few creases, 36, 133 pp., [18, 67 leaves].  Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. The author's father Hayim Palagi was also a prolific author of Torah commentaries. This is the ninth and final volume of Palagi's commentary on Jewish customs and laws expanding and commenting on Joseph Karo's Shulhan Arukh. (68012)      $150.00

Palumbo, Nisim. Sefer Yefeh Anaf [Bound with an additional shorter work "Sefer Anaf Ets ..," Shelomoh Uziel, same place and publisher, 1877]. Izmir, Bi-Defus N' Tsiyon Binyamin Roditi, 1876. Quarto, quarter leather with a large chip at the head and a small chip at the base, marbled paper covered boards with a large chip to the marbling on the front board at the top inner corner, free front endpaper clipped, iv, 190, 56, ii, 54 pp. [2, 95, 28, 1, 27 leaves] Hardbound. In Hebrew. (68034)      Sold

Papo, Eliezer. Sefer Orot Elim: tokhehot musar ... be-kovets divre hakhamim ha-ne'emarim mi-Pumiyahu da-rabanan ... ba-Shas u-ma'amre Razal ba-Midrashim ve-Zohar ha-kodesh ... Saloniki, Bi-defus B. ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1822/3. Duodecimo, quarter leather with remnants of a paper label on the spine, edgeworn and shelfworn marbled paper covered boards rougher at the corners, old graph paper laid-in as endpapers, iv, 128 pp. [2, 64 leaves] Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew (68031)
The second illustration shows the conclusion of the Hakdamot and the decorative device that followed (and opposite that the opening page).
Papo was a major Mussar teacher. See: http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/rabbis/papo.htm

 Sold

Perez, Abraham ben Jacob. Sefer Avne shoham: derekh hilukho a.k. ha-sh.s. ... ve-ba'al ha-turim ... u-mefarshehem. Salonika, Be-bet ube-defus Sa'adi ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1848. Quarto, worn brown leather spine, marbled paper covered boards with a thumb sized hole to the front boards near the botto open corner and with edgewear, foxing to the endpapers, iv, 256, ii, 50 pp.[2, 128, 1, 25 leaves]. Hardbound. Fair. With an introduction by Eliezer of Toledo and one by the editor, Raphael Hayim Benjamin Perez. Bound with "Tsair Radam: al hilkhot tarfuyot ...," by Refael David Mizrahi, Salonika, Be-bet ube-defus Sa'adi ha-Levi Ashkenazi, 1849. (62767)      Sold


Pontrimoli, Refa'el Hayim. Sefer Simhah La-Ish: ... Derushim le-Kol Ha-Pitseyhem ... Izmir, Defus Roditi, 1860. Quarto, quarter leather spine, mildly soiled and edgeworn decorative paper covered boards, iv, 223 pp. [2, 112 leaves]. Cracking to the hinge between the verso and the first page. Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew (68017)      Sold


Prisco, Abraham. Sefer Berakh et Avraham. Salonika, Ba-defus shel Sa'adi Halevi, 1861/2. Small octavo, leather spine with minor chipping, edgeworn marbled paper covers, blue paper endpapers, 260 pp. [130 leaves]. Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew (62765)      Sold

She'alti'el, Yosef . S[efer] Yosef Avraham: milta de-atya mi-derasha al kol parashah [This volume is the Genesis volume of a five volume set]. Saloniki, Yitshak G'ahon, 1857. Small octavo, worn leather spine with the remnants of a hand-written paper label, shelf-worn paper cvoered boards, with what appear to the orginal blank wraps bound in, 212 pp. [106 leaves]. Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. Although the date stated is 1857 the letter substitution for the date is Ha-Berit. If the heh was marked as part of the date incorrectly this would give the correct date at 1852. The book cataloger at JTS that dealt with this title uses historical evidence to support this idea. (62232)      $195.00

She'alti'el, Yosef. S[efer] Yosef Avraham: ... milta de-atya mi-derasha al kol parashah. Saloniki, Difus Yitshak G'ahon, [1847/8?]. Small octavo, green cloth spine with much later penned pettering on the spine, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, 186 pp. [93 leaves], tear to the final leaf. Hardbound. Good-. In Hebrew. The second of four volumes (as surmised from the contents). Cover Sefwer Shemot up to Parshat Va-Yekhel (but not including Parshat Pekudei). (68032)      $150.00

Sherano, Avraham. Sefer Le-Avraham le-mikneh: ... dinim ve-shakla ve-tarya ...al ha-Tur ... : shitah al masekhet Kidushim ... Salonika, Bi-defus Seady. ha-Levi, 1870/1871. Quarto, quarter brown leather with a small chip at the head of the spine, shelfworn marbled paper covered boards with a chip to the top open corner of the front cover, notebook paper laid-in as new endpapers, 396 pp. [198 leaves] Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. Two volumes as one Vol. 1: Le-Avraham le-miknah. Vol. 2: Avraham le-miknah a. M. Kidushin. (68015)      Sold

Yafeh, Shelomoh. (Zeh Ha-Sha'ar la-ha Tsadikim yavo'u vo) Sefer asher li-Shelomoh: ... hidushim al Rambam. Izmir, Be-Defus Avraham Pugtrimoli [?] veYa'akov Poli, 1876. Quarto, quarter leather with gold lettering, slight chipping at the spine ends and some splitting at the edges near the ends, decorative paper covered boards with mild edgewear and soiling, free front endpaper split at the hinge, viii, 72, 76 pp. [4, 32, 36 leaves], index/glossary. Hardbound. Very Good-. In Hebrew. With a preface by Avraham Palagi. (68013)      Sold

Yafeh, Yaakov. Sefer Ya'akov selah: ... ki padah ha-Shem et Ya'akov. Izmir, Bi-defus Avraham Pontrimoli va-havero Ya'akov Poli, 1879/80. Quarto, quarter green-brown leather with gold lettering, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, endpapers split at the hinges, text-block attached by only a few of the binding ties, 261 pp (131 leaves).   Hardbound. Good. In Hebrew. Ya'akov Ashkenazi Yafeh appears to have been resident at Izmir. He also published two books in Ladino there. (68010)      Sold

Yosef ben Eliyah, ha-Levi; Yosef Alfandari; Eliezer, diTolido. Sefer Yavo ha-Levi. Kushtandinah, Ba-defus shel Mosheh de Kastro u-vanav, 1861/2. Quarto, quarter leather spine with gold lettering, chipped at the ends and cracking at the edges, edgeworn marbled paper covers, large chip to the top open corner of the front board, ii, 169 pp. [1, 85 leaves] Hardbound. Fair. In Hebrew (68027)      Sold

END

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