Yiddishe Dikhterin

For most of a decade I worked on a collection of works by and about women in Yiddish. I amassed one of the best collections of work from the modern period, but I was never able to place it with an institution as I had hoped. Inquiries are welcome. A full printed bibliography with many illustrations is available to any institution with a serious interest. Price and details available upon request.

Below are some interesting items newly acquired and among the less common titles in this area. All are currently available on the Hollander Books website.

Heller, Miriam. Oygn reyd: lider. New York, Farlag "Ramim", 1963. Octavo in dust jacket with wear at the corners and the head of the spine, frontispiece photo, 206 pp., index of first lines. Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish. The author's only book.This item is illustrated in my post on uncommon dust jackets.  (83918)     $45.00

Locker, Malka. Du: lider. Tel Aviv, Farlag "Yam", 1932. Small octavo, paper covers with minor edgewear, 84 pp. Softbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. This was Locker's second book. The first was published the year before in Paris by Editions "Le Triangle." There is an advertisement for that book on the last page of this one. Her husband Berl Locker was a very active Zionist and in 1932 was living in London and working as a member of the board of the Jewish Agency. The choice of Tel Aviv as a place of publication is a bit unusual but probably came out of their Zionist connections. Locker's husband served one term in the mid-1950s in the Knesset. It appears that after independence the Lockers lived in Israel. Malka Locker published a variety of works on major French poets such as Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine in that period. They have been translated into French, English and other languages. The outward looking nature of this project showed an optimism that may have belied a feeling of linguistic displacement in the Yiddish intolerant new Jewish state. (83884)     $50.00

Molodowsky, Kadia. Heshvndike Nekht: Lider [Heshwan`dike necht]. Vilna, Farlag fun B. Kletzkin, 1927. Small octavo, green cloth spine, green paper covered boards with a printed paper panel over the front board, 96 pp., yellowed paper, free front endpaper. Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish. The author's first book. Molodowsky was one of the greatest Yiddish poets in the Modern period. She had a very strong education. Her father taught her Bible and Talmud together with his male students. She lived in Kiev during the early 1920s. Kiev at the time was a cauldron of Yiddish writing and artistic production. Her poetry began to appear in various literary magazines in 1920. After Kiev she moved to Warsaw where she was engaged in circle around the magazine Literarische Bleter which included other talented youngsters like Isaac Bashevis Singer. Heshvandike Nekht was her first book length publication. Right from the beginning Molodowsky brought women's concerns to the forefront in her poetry. (83891)     $95.00

Molodovsky, Kadya [Kadie]. Afn Barg. New York, Yungvarg Bibliotek, bam Kooperativn Folks-Farlag fun Internatsyonaln Arbeter Ordn, 1965. Octavo, green cloth with a paper label on the spine, marbled paper covered boards 72 pp., b/w illustrations by Ruth Israel, Mane Katz and William Gropper. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. Afn Barg was Molodowsky's first publication in the US. She was a talented writer for children. This collection includes many poems with two line stanzas with end rhymes. All of the poems have multiple stanzas  which was a difference from the style of her poetry for adults. The collections in full of amusing drawings. It was used in the Internationaler Odrn Shuln, the most radically left-wing of all of the secular Yiddish schools. (83894)     $60.00

Rolnik, Mashe [Rolnikayte, M.]. Ikh Muz Dersteyln. Warsaw - Moscow, Yidish Bukh, 1965. Octavo in dust jacket with minor chipping, frontispiece photo, 263 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish. OCLC Number: 41217947.   Rolnik and her family had just recently moved to Vilna as the Nazis overtook Eastern Europe. She suffered in the Ghetto there and later at the Riga-Kaiserwald and Stutthof concentration camps. She kept a diary sometimes on paper but at other times only in her head. She was a song-writer as well but apparently destroyed her manuscripts. This work is the rewritten version of her memoirs from the Holocaust years. She is remembered in an article by Itzik Gottesman on the blog "Yiddish Song of the Week," which includes a recording of her talking about her experiences and includes the text and music associated with a few of her songs. Gottesman indicated that it is possible that a number of songs attributed to "the folk" were actually here compositions. This item is illustrated in my post on uncommon dust jackets. (83924)   $45.00


Turkow, Jonas, edited by. Ala Golomb-Grinberg: di kranknshvester in Varshever Geto. Tel Aviv, Irgun yots'e Mlaveh be-Yisrael/ Farband fun Mlaver in Yisroel, 1970. Octavo, tan cloth with black spine lettering and with black lettering in a red lozenge on the front board, frontispiece photo, 90 pp., b/w photos and two pages of illustrated documents. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. Golomb-Grinberg was the head nurse in the hospital in the Warsaw Ghetto. Turkow was one of the fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto and survived the revolt in the Ghetto. He is the author on many useful account of the Holocaust time many of the published in the series Dos Poylishe Yidntum in Buenos Aires. (83901)     $65.00


Sources

Leksikon fun der Nayer Yidisher Literatur. New York, CYCO, 1956-1981. Joshua Fogel has been translating this work and turning it into a searchable resource since 2014. He is also integrating additional information from the later Leksikon fun Yidishe-Shrayers, by Berel Kagan. Kol ha-Kavod

END

Uncommon Dust Jackets on Yiddish Books

Dust jackets on Yiddish books are relatively uncommon. Below are a selection of titles that were issued with dust jackets and managed to remain with them. Part of the interest in book collecting is in being able to see cultural objects as they appeared in their original state and time. This is particularly difficult with Yiddish books. I have a few ideas about it, but no real proof to support any of them.

All are currently available at the Hollander Books website.

Brusilow, Nisn [Nathan Brusilow]. Di Shtile Erd: Roman fun a Fargangener Velt/ The Quiet Earth: A Tale of an Extinct World. New York, CYCO Bicher-Verlag, 1957. Octavo in an attractive Saul Raskin illustrated dust jacket with a few short tears, 367 pp.  Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. (22285)      $45.00

Feldman, Richard. Shvarts un vays/ Black and White: Stories of South Africa. New York, Tsiko Farlag, 1957. Octavo in dust jacket, 232 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. (83897)     $45.00

Guiser, M. D. Yulyus un Mari (1905)/ Julius un Mary (1905). Buenos Aires, The Author, 1950. Octavo in dust jacket with a couple of slight tears, 96 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. (83922)     $50.00

Haeckel, Ernst. Di velt-retenishn: populere shtudyes iber monistisher filozofye. Warsaw - New York, Yatshkovskis populer visnshaftlekhe bibliotek, 1929. Octavo in dust jacket, 353 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is translated into Yiddish by Elim Bronstein. Yatshkovskis populer visnshaftlekhe bibliotek No. 2. Copies of books in this series are relatively uncommon for a "popular library." It was perhaps a little too high brow. (83912)     $65.00

Heller, Binem, edited by. Dos lid iz Geblibn: Lider fun Yidishe Dikhter in Poyln Umgekumenen b'es der Hitlerisher Okupatsye. Antologye. Warsaw, Farlag Yidish=Bukh, 1951. Octavo, paper covers in a delicate dust jacket with edgewear and minor soiling, 271 pp. Yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Yiddish. (83917)     $50.00

Heller, Miriam. Oygn reyd: lider. New York, Farlag "Ramim", 1963. Octavo in dust jacket with wear at the corners and the head of the spine, frontispiece photo, 206 pp., index of first lines. Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish. (83918)     $45.00

Hirshhoyt [Hirszhaut], J.[ulian]. Fintstere Nekht in Paviak (Zikhroynes, Geshtaltn, Bilder). Buenos Aires, Tzentral-Farband fun dos Poilishe Yidntum in Argentine , 1948. Small octavo in dust jacket with slight edgewear, 239 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. Bikher-Serie dos Polilshe Yidntum Band 37. This entire series appeared with dust jacket, but they are still less common than one would expect. (16779)     $50.00

Rapoport, Shabsa. Zamlung/ Essays. Toronto, Canada, Pomer Poblishing un Printing Ko., 1955. Octavo in dust jacket, 226 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish. (83921)     $50.00

Rolnik, Mashe [Rolnikayte, M.]. Ikh Muz Dersteyln. Warsaw - Moscow, Yidish Bukh, 1965. Octavo in dust jacket with minor chipping, frontispiece photo, 263 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish. OCLC Number: 41217947. Farlag Yidish Bukh printed many books with dust jackets over paper covers. Some remain, but most of the books from the press still lack them. (83924)     $45.00

END

Sudilkov and other eastern european imprints

       Sudilkov is a town located in the Ukraine in Kamenets-Podolski region. Is is near Polnnoye. Sudilkov was a lesser brother in printing in the area to the Slavita printers. Several of the impressions below were issued by D. Madpis, the most prolific of Sudilkov printers. The Sudilkov press was strong on the reissue of classics and essential works. One of the main products of Jewish Sudilkov was Talesim. Also included below are a few items from Warsaw, Vilna and Polnnoye.
       This is the last of our posts of older Hebrew imprints for now. 

Abraham ben Jehiel Michal Danzig. Sefer Zikhru Torat Mosheh : kolel kol hilkhot Shabat be-kitsur nimrats : ... ve-hu kitsur mi-Sefer haredim kolel kol minyan ha-mitsvot asher tsivah Mosheh ... [Vilna], 1820/1. 16mo, marbled paper covered boards, significant loss to the head and foot of the spine, minor edgewear, 96 pp.  Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. First edition of this work published in the year of the author's death. Danzig was the great codifyer of the Halakhah that appeared after Joseph Karo's Shulkhan Arukh. This work was a smaller extract from his larger works. It discusses the labors prohibited on the Sabbath. Danzig's works were reissued frequently in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (83539)     $125.00

Ashkenazi, Zevi Hirsch ben Jacob . Sefer She'elot u-teshuvot Hakham Tsevi: ve-hidushim u-ve'urim me-hiburav shel Tsevi Ashkenazi ... ben Ya'akov. [Sudylkow], Aleksandr Pavelvitsh, [1825]. Quarto, quarter leather worn through in many places and chipped at the spine ends, printed paper covered boards with wear at the corners, 112 pp. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. (83553)     $95.00

Bacharach, Jair Hayyim ben Moses Samson. Sefer She'elot u-teshuvot Havot Ya'ir : teshuvot ... Sudylkov, Yitshak ben Eliezer, 1834. Quarto, hand-painted paper covered boards, 104, 104 pp. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83554)     $95.00

Horowitz, Abraham ben Shabbetai Sheftel. Sefer Emek berakhah: dinim u-te'amim al birkat ha-nehenin u-virkat ha-tefilot... Sudilkov, R. Yitshak Madpis, 1834. Octavo, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, 120, 130 pp., minor soiling to a few pages, cut down in the rebinding process with minor loss at the open edge in the first part of the volume. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. "Emek Berakhah ... is mainly a halakhic exposition of the benedictions for enjoyments, prayers and prayer ritual.," Encyclopedia Judaica. (83521)     $60.00

ibn Abi Zimra, David ben Solomon. Shut ha-Radbaz. Helek Shevi'i. Warsaw, Mordekhai Kalinberg, 1882. Small quarto, black cloth spine with the remnants of paper labels, marbled-paper covered boards, 54 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Zimra was born in Spain but lived much of his life in Safed. He published many works of Hebrew literature and Kabbalah but his Halakhah was very important. It was all published after his lifetime and the first complete edition didn't appear until the first half of the nineteenth-century. (83789)

Isserles, Moses ben Israel. Sefer Sh. u-t. Rama. Sudilkov, R. Yitsshak Madpis, 1835. Quarto, black leather with gold lettering, with wear at the base of the spine and minor wear and a few scuffs to the boards, marbled endpapers, 41, 21-36, 29-44 leaves. A blue paper edition though the tint is faded more or less in part of the run. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Pagination is confusing. The work is edited for publication by Solomon ben Jehiel Luria; Aryeh Loeb Loewenstamm and Shemaryah ben Ya'akov. (83525)     $125.00

Isserles, Moses ben Israel. Sefer Minhat Ya'akov: ve-zot Torat ha-hatat veha-minhah veha-shelamim: hu perush nehmad ve-harif ... al sefer "Torat hatat she-hiber Mosheh Iserles mi-Kraka. Bound with Sefer Minhat Shelamim: Helek Sheni." Polnnoye, 1805. Folio, brown leather spine with a red label near the top, leather worn at the ends, splitting from the boards without having separated from them, edgeworn patterned paper covered boards, 118, 60 pp. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. "Sefer Minhat Shelamim: Helek Sheni," has a second title-page. (83544)     $125.00

Judah, ha-Levi [Yehudah Halevi]. Sefer ha- kuzari: yasado ha-hakham ha-haver Rabi Yitshak Sangari z. l. ... Sudilkov, Nidpas etsel R. Yitshak Madfis, 1833. Royal octavo, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards with new endpapers laid-in, i, 164 leaves [ii, 328 pp.], title and place are printed in red ink, paper is a faint green that might be the trace of this having been a blue paper edition. Hardbound. Good. Translated into Hebrew by Yehudah ibn Tibon. Yitshak Sangari is the probably legendary figure responsible for the conversion of the Khazars described in the Kuzari. (83565)     $250.00

[Luria, Isaac] Kalmankes-Jaffe, Abraham ben Aryeh Loeb. Ma-ayan ha-hakhmah: mi-kitve Yitshak Lurya. Includes a second work (as published) "Sefer Shever Yosef," by Israel Sarug. Korzek, Drukeray fun Yohn Anton Kriger, 1784. Octavo, rebacked in marbled paper covers, lacking the title page, 38 leaves (72 pp.) Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Kalmankes-Jaffe was "born at Uman about 1640; died at Frankfort-on-the-Oder after 1702." This is a small work editing Isaac Luria words. Sarug was a "Cabalist of the sixteenth century. A pupil of Isaac Luria, he devoted himself at the death of his master to the propagation of the latter's cabalistic system, for which he gained many adherents in various parts of Italy." Encyclopedia Judaica. (83540)     $395.00

Markus, Mordecai Zebi ben Benjamin . Sefer Mafteah ha-agadot mi-kol ha-Shas. Vilna, Almanah veha-Ahim Rom, 1880. Duodecimo, black cloth spine with wear, worn marbled apper covered boards, 200, 24 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Including an additional shorter work, "Igeret le-kets ha-yamin : kol mevaser ve-omer: derush matai yathil kabalat ha-Shabat ... u-vi'at Meshihenu,"  Hayyim ben Joseph Vital; Ya'akov Goldzweig, Pieterkov, Bi-defus A. Vizengarten, 1905. (83793)     $50.00  

Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia Judaica

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book. Jerusalem, The Institute for Computerized Bibliography, 1993. 

Lemberg/ Lvov Hebrew Imprints

Lvov/ Lemberg Imprints

              In 1772 the commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania lost its independence and was partitioned into territories of the Russian, Prussian and Austrian empires. Galicia became a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In order to consolidate their censorship regime they consolidated publishing. Zolkiew's publishers were forced to move their operations to Lvov. Despite this benefit to the Hebrew publishing business the partition otherwise was not particularly helpful for the general business climate. Things did improve in time. 

             Lvov did not attract any of the leaders of the Hasidic movement for more than a few short stays. The movement did not catch on until the 1830s.The Maskilim made inroads into the tradtional community in that same period, though Zeev Gries sees the limited number of editions of the Maskilic titles as evidence of slim interest in their project. A Reform Temple opened in 1844. The government supported the Reform movement, but resistance was fierce and unpleasant. 

            Printers active in Lemberg in the late 18th and early 19th centuries include W. Letteris, H.D. Madpis, M.H. Grossman and Madpis's granddaughter Judith Mann-Rosanes. Nevertheless, Anton Schmid's highly successful Vienna based Hebrew publishing house put a ceiling on the success of the Lvov printers.

Bahya ben Asher ben Hlava. Sefer Rabenu Bahya: Beur a´l ha-Torah. Lemberg, Naftali Hirts Grosman, 1811/2. Duodecimo, re-backed in hand-painted paper covered boards, 209 leaves [418 pp.], water-staining at the bottom edge of the last few leaves, some nineteenth-century pen on the front endpaper and title-page. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83788)     $125.00

Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf ben Shemu'el Romaner. Sefer Ir Binyamin: asher banah homat ha-ir u-migdaleha ve-amudim pesah le-bayit bet Yisra'el helek  sheni ... Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf ben Shemu'el Romaner; Gottschalk, Michael (Frankfurt a.O.). Frankfurt an der Oder , 1698. Quarto, vellum spine with remnants of a paper label, marbled paper covered boards with major loss to the paper covers, lacking the free front endpaper, strongly illustrated Tur [title-page], 60 leaves [120 pp.], lacking the rear endpaper, some soiling to the pastedown endpapers. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83794)     $295.00

Bloch, Samson , ha-Levi. Zahav she-bah: ve-hu helek shelishi me-sefer Shevile 'olam; kolel mehkere erets Portugal ve-Shpanya u-tekhunat adamatah ve-korotah ... Lvov/ Lemberg, Gedruckt bei F. Grosman, 1855. Duodecimo, olive cloth spine with minor wear at the spine ends, worn paper label on the spine with title in hand-writing, mildly edgeworn marbled paper covers, iv, 104, 16, 48 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. This is as it states in the title, the third part of "Shevile Olam," meant to be a compendium of geography. "In 1822 appeared the first volume of his important work, "Shebile 'Olam" (Paths of the World), a description of the geography and the nations of Asia (Zolkiev). It still has a literary if not a scientific value on account of its incomparable style and of the attacks on the folly and superstition of the Eastern nations contained therein, which were really intended for fools and deluded people nearer home. The second volume (Africa) is even better than the first, and is interspersed with biographies of Alfasi, Maimonides, and other famous Jews who were born or lived in Africa (Zolkiev, 1827)." Jewish Encyclopedia. This third work is the only part of a larger project on Europe that the author planned and was a posthumous publication. A Haskalah work. (83562)      $195.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Lemberg, Bi-defus Aharon beha-manoah Hayim David Segal, 1828. Octavo, dried out brown leather spine with cracking and loss to the leather at the spine ends, edgeworn dull purplish paper covered boards, 135 leaves (270 pp.),  a completely new reset edition from preceding editions.  Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. The first [posthumous publication of this first of two volumes of sermons published by the author. Edil was a student of the Vilna Gaon. He had a talent for homiletics and this collection has been reprinted a number of times since the author's death in 1827. The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that the second volume of Sermons was not published, but this is incorrect. (83558)     $95.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Lemberg, Bi-defus Aharon beha-manoah Hayim David Segal, 1828. Octavo, brown leather spine with cracking to the leather at the spine edges, most of hand-written paper label on the spine, edgeworn dull decorative paper covered boards, 135 leaves (270 pp.),  a completely new reset edition from preceding editions.  Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. The first [posthumous publication of this first of two volumes of sermons published by the author. Edil was a student of the Vilna Gaon. He had a talent for homiletics and this collection has been reprinted a number of times since the author's death in 1827. The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that the second volume of Sermons was not published, but this is incorrect. (83782)     $150.00

Gotlib, Dov Berish ben Ya'akov. Sefer Yad ha-ketanah : ... u-ve'uro ... Minhat ani, kolel shorshe ve-ikre dine 613 mitsvot al derekh ha-Rambam ... al ha-mada ve-ahavah u-zemanim. Lemberg, 1800. Royal octavo, brown leather spine with a large chip lacking at the base of the spine and another mid-spine, very roughly worn paper covered boards, 363 leaves (726 pp.). free front endpaper soiled and covered with snatches of many Hebraic hands, lacking the rear free endpaper. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. This is the first edition and although "Helek Rishon," is stated on the title page it was the only volume published. It appeared posthumously. The work was not reprinted again until 1856 though it does reappear from time to time. A work on Teshuvah with lessons that are still regularly studied. (83559)     $125.00

ibn Aldabi, Meir ben Isaac. Shevile emunah: gevurotav mi yemalel ... Lvov, 1801. Duodecimo, remnants of the brown leather spine, boards thoroughly worn with significant loss to the front board, 143 leaves [286 pp.], b/w figures, a few rumpled pages, two partially loose signatures, some old pen lines in the margins. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. A serviceable aged copy of an very interesting title. "Aldabi belonged to the class of popular writers who, possessing extensive theological and scientific knowledge, commented upon the assertions of their predecessors with a clear understanding, expressing here and there their own opinions, and presenting some subjects from the standpoint of the Cabala. Aldabi was also one of those Talmudists whose conception of religion was wholly spiritual and who revered the Cabala: he can not, however, be called a true cabalist. In 1360 he wrote "Shebile Emunah" (The Paths of Faith), an exhaustive treatise on philosophical, scientific, and theological subjects. To judge from the many editions that appeared from time to time, it was for centuries a favorite book with the educated."Shebile Emunah" is divided into ten chapters, which treat respectively of: (1) The existence of God, His attributes, His immateriality, unity, and immutability, which is not affected by prayer or even by miracles—introducing in each case a cabalistic discussion of the names of the Deity; (2) the creation of the world, which does not necessitate any change in God or any plurality in His nature; an explanation of the Biblical account being given, followed by a dissertation on the seven climates or zones of the earth as then conceived, the spheres, the stars, the sun and moon and their eclipses, and on meteorology; (3) human embryology and the generative functions; (4) human anatomy, physiology, and pathology; (5) rules for health and long life; (6) the soul and its functions; (7) the exaltation of the soul, which, through the fulfillment of the Law, becomes one with the Creator—the chapter being devoted chiefly to an explanation of the ethical value of the Mosaic commandments; (8) explanatory notes on the truth of the Law and of oral tradition, elucidating some of the Haggadot on the same lines as Solomon ben Adret; (9) reward and punishment, paradise and hell, immortality of the soul and its transmigration in man; (10) the redemption of Israel, the resurrection, and the world to come after resurrection; a general résumé of the book, followed by a poem." Jewish Encyclopedia. (83573)     $95.00

Kranz, Jacob ben Wolf [Dubner Maggid]. Sefer Ohel Ya'akov: al sefer Be-reshit derushim ... Lvov, [Israel ben Jacob Kranz?], 1850/51. Octavo, roughly worn brown leather spine, marbled paper covered boards with shelfwear and some edgewear, front board re-attached, 60, 27 leaves [120, 54 pp.], notes on the text. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Edited by Israel ben Jacob Kranz. This is the second edition of the first volume of the five that were ultimately published. By this point only Bereshit, Shemot and Vayika had had first editions. Bamidbar and Devarim appeared in 1866. (83577)     $90.00

Mohr, Abraham Menahem Mendel. Arugat ha-bosem: kolel divre hakhamim ve-hidotam, ha-mefuzarim al pene ha-Talmud Bavli vi-Yerushalmi u-midrashim, im be'ur ... Lemberg, Joseph Schnayder, 1848. Duodecimo, re-backed in hand-painted paper covered boards, 144 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Mohr was a German philanthropist and civic leader. He passed away the year before this volume was published. He wrote a number of other books on travel in Europe and the Holy Land, European royalty as well as a Haggadah and a parody of Megillat Esther. (83786)      $150.00

Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi. Shenem Asar derashot. Lvov [Lemberg], Bi-defus Yehudit eshet ha-rav Tsevi Hirsh, 1797. Small octavo, half-brown leatherwith cracking and loss, marbled paper covered boards, 73 leaves [145 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. "Nissim wrote a philosophical work containing twelve homilies ("derashot"), displaying in this small volume his familiarity with philosophy, especially with that of Maimonides and Ibn Ezra." Jewish Encyclopedia. Nissim was best known for his commentaries of Alfasi. (83783)     $250.00

Rashi and Alshikh, with commentary by. Sefer tehilim: nidpas mehdash be-khol yofi be-hagahah meduyeket veba- otiyot gadolot. Lemberg, Aharon Hayim David, 1826. Duodecimo, half brown leather, rough wear to the spine, front board lacks the marbled paper that remains on the rear board, title page chipped at the top open edge and repaired near the base with some loss of text, iii, 404 pp., soiling and with some pen and pencil to the endpaper of early vintage. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in vocalized Hebrew in clear large letters, commentaries are in smaller letter in Rashi script. (83581)     $150.00

Teomim, Aharon. Sefer Bigde Aharon: helek rishon: derushim ... Frankfurt am Main, Nidpas bay Yohan Kelner, 1710. Quarto, black cloth spine with gold lettering, some cracking along the edges at the ends, marbled paper covered boards, later free endpapers yellowed and cracking, title page reattached some time ago with slight loss to the detail of the sha'ar, 40, 21, 20, 15, 11 leaves [80, 42, 40, 30, 36 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Gotthard Deutsch who wrote the entry on Teomim for the Jewish Encyclopedia considered Teomim a mediocrity. He has not been as widely republished as some other figures of the era, but his work continues to be of enough interest to stimulate reissues. (83790)     $395.00

Sources

The Jewish Encyclopedia

Jewish Encyclopedia

Gries, Zeev. The Book in the Jewish World 1700-1900. Oxford. The Litman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2007.

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Zolkiew Hebrew and Yiddish Imprints

        These items are available only through direct sale and are not listed on our website (http://www.hollanderbooks.com) at this time. Orders can be placed by email at boychik@hollanderbooks.com or phone number 415-831-3228.
 

Zolkiew's old synagogue.

             
                  Zolkiew, or Zhovkva in Yiddish was the one of the first places in Poland where Hebrew printing was done. In point of fact Lublin and Cracow  began printing 1530 and 1647 respectively  The first book printed in Zolkiew was in 1666, but printing there did not become established until the 1690s.  "In 1693 [Uri] Phoebus opened a printing-house at Zolkiev, and there printed calendars and ritual and Judæo-German works till 1705." JE. Phoebus had come to Poland from Amsterdam where he felt constrained by the competition among Hebrew printers. He returned to Amsterdam, but members of his family continued to print in Zolkiew for several generations.
                 The establishment of printing in Zolkiew in the early period had royal sanction "Due to restrictions imposed at the end of the 17th century by the Council of Four Lands on printers Hebrew books, for nearly 80 years, Zhovkva was the only centre of Jewish printing industry in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This changed only after the dissolution of the Council of Four Lands in 1764. The Zhovkva Jewish printing house was famous all over the world and the city became the third centre of Jewish printing in the country (after the previously closed printing houses in Lublin and Krakow). It published traditional religious literature, as well as disputes on the nature of the theology by authors submitting their works from different countries. Descendants of Uri Phoebus (with surnames: Madfes, Mann, Letteris, and Meirhoffer) owned the printing house until the end of the 18th century. The house of Uri Phoebus, where the printing press operated, is located at the market square (Vicheva Square 7)." http://shtetlroutes.eu/en/zhowkwa-putvnik/ (Site does not list sources, but is much more reliable than Jewish Virtual Library which is riddled with errors on Zolkiew printing.)
                The economic status of Zolkiew suffered under Austrian rule following the first partition of Poland in 1772. "The virtual monopoly that Żółkiew enjoyed with respect to Jewish printing in the course of the 1700s waned in the latter decades of that century. A printing operation appeared in Oleksinets in 1760. Hebrew printers, mainly with small firms, emerged in the 1780s in such places as Luts’k, Nowy Dwór, Lwów, Mezkorov, Szkłów, Poryck, and Grodno in addition to Korets. In the 1790s, Warsaw, Vilna, Dubno, Połonne, Slavuta, and Ostróg also became centers for printing." Ze'ev Gries in Yivo Encyclopedia - Printing and Publishing Before 1800 (This is a very well-sourced article.) Zolkiew remained an active site of publishing at least into the 1860s. 
              Important intellectual figures in Zolkiew in this period include Nachman Krochmal and Zvi Chayes. It was a Mitnagdim center though there was significant Hasidic activity in the areas around it. Though the quality of Hebrew printing is not considered to be as good as that the of the earlier era Zolkiew remained a distinctive Jewish entity and produced a significant body of work. It is lesser known now.

Adret, Solomon ben Abraham & Nahmanides. She'elot u-teshuvot ha-Rashba ha-meyuhasot leha-Ramban. Zolkiew, Defus Gershon ben Ze'ev Volf Segal, 1798. Octavo, broards very crudely recovered with now soiled rough blue cloth, 7, 77 leaves [14, 154 pp.] Hardbound. Good-. Adret also known as Rashba was a highly productive poskin from thirteenth century Barcelona. Text is in Hebrew. (83582)      $150.00

             Ashkenazi, Eliezer Elijah. Ma'ase ha-Shem: derushim .... Zolkiew, Be-Defus Gershon, 1802. Octavo, full leather lacking the backstrip and with slight loss to the boards near the spine, decorative paper endpapers, 104, 59 leaves [208, 118 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. The third edition of this work. The first appeared in 1583/4. The second in 1776/7. This includes an additional section entitled, "Maase Mitsrayim." ""Ma'ase ha-Shem" (The Works of God; Venice, 1583; several other editions), a commentary on the historical portions of the Pentateuch, written for the instruction of his son Elijah, and containing also a complete commentary on the Passover Haggadah, which has frequently been published separately" Jewish Encyclopedia. (83785)     $250.00


Bloch, Samson, ha-Levi. Sh'vile 'olam. Sefer Kolel. Tekunot kol artsot tevel le-mahlekotehen ... Zolkiew, Bey Meyerhoffer, 1822. Duodecimo, black cloth covered boards, xxii, 252 pp., mild water-staining. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. This is the volume that deals with Asia. With eulogies/ dedications by J. Landau, J. Eichenbaum, and Aharon Lerner. Lerner's contribution is in poetic form. Bloch was another Haskalah figure who passed through Zolkiew. He was friends with Krochmal. (83580)      $180.00

Chajes, Zvi Hirsch. Darke hora'ah: medaber bo ... be-hitnahagut ha-hakhamim be-hora'ot we-dinim, uve-inyane ha-minhagim, ve-eze teshuvot ha-mityahkasim li-she'elot ha-paratot, 'asher mit'askim ba-hem maskile zemanenu. Zolkiew, Saul Meyerhoffer, 1842. Octavo, green cloth spine with gold lettering, shelfworn marbled paper covers, 3, 25, 13 leaves [vi, 50, 26 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. "An examination of the rules that obtained in Talmudic times in deciding practical religious questions." Jewish Encyclopedia. This is the first printing of this work and the only one to appear in the author's lifetime. Though Chajes was a traditionalist Rabbi he was also one of the fathers of the Scientific study of Jewish texts. (83567)      $150.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Zulkova [Zolkiew], Bi-defus A.Y.L. Mayerhofer, 1819. Octavo, very roughly worn gray cloth spine roughly worn with a hand-written paper label, decorative paper covered boards with wear to the edges, boards just barely hanging in there, lacking the free front endpaper, 118 leaves (235 pp. with wear to the final two leaves resulting in the loss of a few letters. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. The second printing of the first of two volumes of sermons published by the author. Edil was a student of the Vilna Gaon. He had a talent for homiletics and this collection has been reprinted a number of times since the author's death in 1827. The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that the second volume of Sermons was not published, but this is incorrect. (83557)      $60.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Zulkova [Zolkiew], Bi-defus A.Y.L. Mayerhofer, 1819. Octavo, soiled brown cloth spine with remnants of a paper label, fraying at the head of the spine, shelfworn and edgeworn paper covered boards, 116 of 118 leaves (235 pp., lacking leaves 115 and 116 Hardbound. Poor. Text is in Hebrew.  (83576)      $60.00

ibn Habib, Moses ben Solomon. Get pashut: ve-hu be'ur al hilkhot gitin ... Zolkiew, bei Saul Meyerhoffer, 1834/5. Quarto, worn brown leather spine with gold stamped and hand-written spine labels, marbled paper covered boards worn along the edges and with some shelfwear, free front endpaper lacking a large chip at the open top corner, 115 leaves [230 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Commentary on Joseph ben Ephraim Karo's commentary on Tractate Gittin in Shulkhan Arukh. (83579)      $150.00

Isserles, Moses ben Israel. Sefer Mehir yayin: be'ur hadash tov ve-nehmad al Megilat Ester... Zolkiew, Saul Meyerhoffer, 1838. 16mo, brown cloth spine, soiled gray paper covered boards, free front endpaper loose, 26 leaves (52 pp.) Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83564)      $75.00


Kats, Hayim Avraham ben Aryeh Leyb. Seyfer Gdules Yoysef : in dizen liblikhin seyfer vert ... min loshn hakoydesh leloshn Ashkenaz.... [Zolkiew], Mordekhai Rabin Shtayn, 1794/5. Octavo, roughly worn brown leather spine with loss at the ends, soiled patterned paper covered boards roughly worn down with loss at the corners, endpapers soiled with old Hebrew notes, 30 leaves (60 pp.), with some loss at the bottom open corner of the fourteenth leaf, dog-earing, occasional light water-staining. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Judeo-German. A translation of the Hebrew text "Milhamah be-Shalom." A play featuring the Biblical Joseph. This is the first publication. Printed with the headings in a standard Hebrew type-face of the time and the remained of the text in ivri-taytsh type. (83537) $250.00


[Rashi] Jacob ben Asher. Perush al Ha-Torah: Me-Rabenu Ya'akob ben Kavod Marana ve-Ravna Rabenu Ha-Ra... zl. Perush Hadash ve-Nifla Asher Ha-Y Be-Ketivat Yad Rabenu Ha-Mahber Be-Atsmo Ketav Yashan Mi-Yeme Kedem Ha-Kadmata Karov Le-Hamesh Me'ot Shanah u-Loh ba Adayin Be-Defus Klal. Zolkiew, Bedefus Abraham Yehuda Leib, 1806. Octavo, lacking the back strip, traces of the spine leather on the edges of the board, well worn paper covered boards, endpapers with stray Rabbinic hand marginalia, thumbnail size rebacked spot on the title-page with loss of a few letters (this is the reason for the ellipsis in the title as above), 126 leaves [251 pp.], list of subscribers. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. Rashi commentaries published as edited from a manuscript edition. (83575)      $180.00

Zacuto, Abraham ben Samuel. Sefer Yuhasin. Helek Sheni. Zolkiew, Bi-defus Gershon Madpis, 1799. Duodecimo, leather spine worn at the ends and cracking at the hinges, soiled tan paper covered boards, all edges marbled, 106 leaves [212 pp.], front board nearly loose. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. An important work in the synthesis of Jewish ideas into a historical framework. While his work was not history as we would like to find it in an academic recension, it served as a foundation for the introduction of what we would more familiarly associate with the writing of history into Jewish thought. A nicely printed copy of this late medieval work in a compromised binding. (83574)     $95.00

Sources

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Jewish Encyclopedia.

Zolkiew & Mosty Wielki Organization website: http://www.zmo.org.il/index.php/en/, retrieved 5/7/2017.

Shtetl Routes website page on Zhovkva. http://shtetlroutes.eu/en/zhowkwa-putvnik/ , retrieved 5/7/2017.

Spector, Shmuel, general editor. Pinkas Hakehillot Polin: Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities, Poland. Volume Two. Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 1980.

Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Otsar Ha-Sefer Ha-Ivri. Jerusalem, Ha-Makhon La-Bibliografyah Me-Muhshevet, 1994.

Yaari, Abraham. Ha-Defus ha-Ivri be-Ḳushṭa: ... me-reshito ad perots milḥemet ha-olam ha-sheniyah, u-reshimat ha-sefarim she-nidpesu bah. Jerusalem, The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, 1967. Supplement to Kiryat Sefer, vol. XLII.

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