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Works of Jewish controversy written by Jews and published in England in the period to 1720 were few in number and are now very uncommon. Those controversial treatises actually in Hebrew were and are particularly rare. Searches via ESTC, RLIN, OCLC, and NUC Pre-1956 locate fewer than a dozen copies of this text in U.S. libraries.

•  Roth, Magna Bibliotheca Anglo-Judaica, 336; Palau 191134; ESTC T210368. 18th-century diced russia. Joints and board edges rubbed with joints tender and starting at tops and bottoms. Some margin pencil marks but a clean, complete copy of a scarce and very important book.

In the five-part appendix are the Aristeas de LXX Interpretibus in Greek and Latin, translated into the latter by Matthias Garbatius; Ad Epitomen Aristeæ; a variorum of Book VII of the Jewish War and the Maccabean Rebellion based on the MSS. in the Leipzig collection; a Latin version of the Libelli de Maccabæis by Francisco Combesis; and fragments from the p e r i p a n t a V , ascribed to Josephus, edited by David Hoeschel based upon the work of Stephan le Moyne. Sidenotes refer the reader to important historical details and parallel biblical passages. This edition was compiled from MSS. in the Palatine library and is a revised and improved version of the Geneva edition of 1591.

According to Dibdin, Thomas Ittigus, the editor, was “a man sufficiently conversant in Jewish antiquities, and an able reviewer of the MSS. and previous editions of his author.” As far as Dibdin was concerned, this more than made up for imperfections in type and in paper quality (the paper is strong but inclined to browning). The title-page is handsomely printed in red and black, with engraved printer's device; there is a scattering of ornamental initials and head- and tailpieces.

•  Dibdin, Introduction to the Greek and Latin Classics, II, 131; Schweiger, I, 177.   Full vellum over boards. Round spine with author's name and “Opera” in sepia ink at top. Inked personal ownership inscription on front fly-leaf; rather pleasing old library ownership stamp on verso of title-page. Lower corner of one leaf (H6) torn away without loss of text. Paper inclines to brown, as above, and there is the odd spot or underlining. A substantial, significant volume.  (2135)

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•  Recent marbled paper–covered boards, front cover with gilt-stamped red leather title-label (a little darkened). Three leaves with offsetting from now-absent laid-in item. Some upper corners bumped; one leaf with repairs to inner margin, touching but not obscuring text. Endpapers and some edges with a little soiling; generally, quite clean.  (25365)

Jewish

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Lightfoot (1602–75) was a noted Hebraist and Biblical scholar; Lowndes says of his works that “the writings of Dr. Lightfoot are an invaluable treasure to the biblical student.”

•  ESTC R21614; Wing (2nd ed.) L2052; Lowndes 1359.   Recent marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped title and publication labels. Title-page institutionally rubber-stamped. Pp. 145–48 (the end of the “Christian History...XXXIIII” section) bound in between pp. 152 and 153, with annotations in an early inked hand noting the error. Pages trimmed closely, taking part of title-page border and in a few instances affecting the catchwords or final lines of text. Waterstaining, mostly to lower outer portions.  (24853)

Bindings: Publisher's textured dark brown cloth, covers with globe and torch design stamped in rich shades yellow, red, green, and black; spines embossed with modest "ruling" and author, title, publisher, volume numbers.

•  Vols. I and IV only. Bindings as above, slightly shaken, extremities rubbed. Pages clean.  (29812)

•  ESTC T113648.   Recent quarter calf, old style; raised bands, gilt ruling above and below the bands as accents, gilt center devices in spine compartments. Deep red spine labels lettered in gilt; marbled paper sides, with dark wedge of soil crossing bottom 3/4-inch of front cover’s paper and line of same soil also to turn-ins of back cover. Faint off-setting to top and bottom margins of early leaves from old binding; medium-light waterstains in margins of index (i.e., last 6 leaves), and the odd spot or bit of soil elsewhere. Generally, a very nice clean book.  (25318)

•  Publisher's tan cloth, corners bumped, in handsome illustrated dust-jacket, a bit sunned. A very nice book!  (22344)

•  Contemporary vellum over paste boards. Ex-library: Call number label removed from spine with noticeable result, bookplate, library name rubber-stamped on bottom edges of closed book, pressure-stamp on title-page. Librarian's pencil markings. Withal, a very nice copy.  (21305)

This set includes two volumes of supplemental text, adding a number of entries. The first edition was followed by two volumes of supplemental plates, not present here and not called for: Graesse describes this edition as “sans grav.”

The pagination is erratic in a number of places; there is a numbering gap from 2342 to 2351 between vols. IV and V, but the text and signatures are uninterrupted.

Uncommon: OCLC locates only two U.S. institutional holdings of this second edition.

Provenance: Most volumes with small inked ownership inscription in an outer margin: “G.R.W.” the mark of William Rollinson Whittingham (1805–79), fourth Episcopal Bishop of Maryland and an enthusiastic book collector.

•  Brunet, IV, 851; Graesse, V, 429. Not in Sabin.   Contemporary half binding, recently rebacked with tan paper, spines with printed paper labels; boards rubbed and faded with small chips, one vol. with front cover waterstained. Foxing almost throughout, generally no worse than moderate; light waterstaining in upper margins of vol. I; one leaf in vol. VII with lower outer portion torn away, with loss of words from about 18 lines on each side. Vol. II with printer's error replacing pp. 1065–72 with duplicates of pp. 1057–64; pagination erratic in other places. Most vols. with ownership mark as above; vol. VI with one pencilled and one inked marginal annotation.  (25862)

Judaism

The work was printed in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, where Priestley settled in 1782, when his liberal political opinions and defense of the French Revolution (in addition to his status as a nonconforming minister of questionable orthodoxy) obliged him to emigrate from England to the United States.

Provenance: Both title-pages inscribed by N. Irwin.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 4912 & 7121. Recent quarter calf over marbled paper–covered sides, spines with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels. Title-pages with faint impression of a once-pencilled shelf number; some leaves lightly foxed.

Judaism

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This work was printed in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, where Priestley settled in 1782, his liberal political opinions and defense of the French Revolution (in addition to his status as a nonconforming minister of questionable orthodoxy) having obliged him to emigrate from England to the United States.

Provenance: Each title-page inscribed by N. Irwin.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 2933 & 4913. Recent quarter calf over marbled paper–covered sides, paper darkened at edges and/or turn-ins on some volumes, most notably vol. IV; spines with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels. Title-pages with faint impression of a once-pencilled shelf number; a few page edges slightly ragged; some instances of small spots of foxing, mostly in margins, and varying degrees of offsetting. Please note these are octavo values — they're substantial, but we think the photo may make them look a bit taller than they actually are.

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The work contains 48 letters on the nature of legal study, with advice for the law student on topics as diverse as cultivating a classical learning, the relevance of philosophy and history to the study of law, the dangers of indulging in “general literature,” overcoming deficiencies and handling discouragement, eloquence, integrity, memory, study habits and the importance of a good work ethic, working in an attorney's office — etc.

Raithby (1766–1826) was admitted a member of Lincoln's Inn on 26 January 1795, was subsequently called to the bar, and practiced law in the court of chancery.

Provenance:  Ownership marks of Samson Levy, Esq., in several forms and places; pencilled signature of John M. Allen; several other signatures crossed out.

A note on the flyleaf says here, “Exchanged with my Friend R. Peters Esq. / This Day One I purchased of P. Byrne(?) bound in Calf - 20th Feb.y 1810.”

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 11238.   Contemporary sheep, spine with gilt-stamped decorations and title gilt-stamped on a black leather label. Binding rubbed/worn with spine leather chipped/cracking, front cover off and back joint cracked/weak. Ink marks and writing on title-page and facing (blank) page. Variable foxing, annotations as above, a few brief passages highlighted with marginal ink-rules.  (7455)

This is numbered copy 57 of only 97 hand-printed on several different types of Japanese paper; it was,signed by the poet across from Marta Anderson's hand-colored drawing on the title-page. The poem is bound in Shadwell very light cream-grey wrappers printed with “Old Man Beaver's Blessing Song “ (calligraphed by Bettye Lou Bennett) in brown on the front and the title in cream on the back.

•  Two Decades of Hamady & the Perishable Press, 58.   Binding as above. Clean and fresh.  (30781)

•  VD16 S1581. Removed from a nonce volume, in later wrappers. Dust-soiled. Library pressure-stamp and private owner's (old) inked signature on title-page. A very good copy. (21113)

The text here is divided into sections for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, followed by a guide to Hebrew abbreviations; an index of classical authors; and a comprehensive Latin index to the defined words, which are described in the text in Hebrew and Latin. The whole is printed in Hebrew, roman, and italic type, double-column, with intricate head- and tailpieces, ornaments, and initials in floriated, historiated, and factotum frames.

Provenance:  Early ownership inscription of Gervüin Pûtre ( or Pêctre?), front pastedown.

•  VD17 1:051625M; Vancil, Cordell Collection, 216; Zaunmüller 345 & Graesse, VI, 305 (Hanover issue). On Semitic-language dictionaries, see S. Segert, “The Use of Comparative Semitic Material in Hebrew Lexicography,” in Semitic Studies in Honor of Wolf Leslau, vol. II, ed. A.S. Kaye.   Contemporary speckled calf, spine gilt extra with raised bands, gilt morocco and manuscript paper labels, red speckled edges; joints cracking, free endpapers gone with early and late leaves creased and attachment of first ones affected, corners bumped and leather scuffed with some loss (sewing exposed at spine top).. Ex-library with old seminary pressure-stamp to title-leaf, this mostly detached and with print along that edge touched on both sides. Variously, waterstaining and browning; very mild worming, eye-catching on perhaps six leaves only; small marginal tears; a few ink and other splotches.  (30286)

author and illustrator signed

•  Plain brown cloth, spine with gilt-stamped leather title label, in publisher's tan paper–covered slipcase. Clean and unworn; slipcase showing only one tiny scuff at head, book pristine.  (30533)

Letters II–IV and V–VII have separate title-pages, dated 1773 and 1774 respectively.

•  ESTC T101252; Allibone 2344; Lowndes 2581–82. On Taylor, see: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online.   Recent quarter calf with marbled paper–covered sides, leather edges tooled in blind, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Outer (closed) edges institutionally rubber-stamped; title-page and one other pressure-stamped in an old style. Very clean and with wide margins.  (25083)