The Hebrew book: An historical survey

by Raphael Posner (editor), Israel Ta-Shema (editor)

In The Hebrew Book we are presented with yet another volume produced by extracting material from the recent Encyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem-New York, 1972) and reprinting it with some additions and changes as a separate "book." The editors have gathered from Encyclopaedia Judaica material dealing with the Hebrew book and have "re-edited" and "re-organized" it into a volume of some 225 pages. Chapters 1 to 3 deal with the prehistory of the book: "Writing," "The Scroll," and "The Manuscript," and most of the forty-one colored plates scattered throughout the volume illustrate matters discussed in these three chapters. Chapter 4, "The Science of the Hebrew Book," apparently written especially for this volume, serves as an introduction to the chapters dealing with the history of the printed Hebrew book and offers a "state of the field" survey of Hebrew bibliography. A chronological account of Hebrew printing, and brief surveys of major Hebrew printing centers and Hebrew printers--the latter two arranged alphabetically are given in Chapters 5 to 7. Chapter 8, "Love of the Book," briefly surveys such topics as book titles, imprimaturs, book trade, censorship, book collecting, and bookplates, while Chapter 9, "The Artistry of the Book," covers the technical aspects of Hebrew printing, including typography, illustrations, and binding. The printing history of Hebrew classic texts including the Bible, Talmud, liturgical, and other works, is given in Chapter 10 ("Some Basic Books"), while a brief survey of Judaica libraries in Israel and elsewhere is offered in Chapter 11 ("Libraries"). In addition to the colored plates, the volume is enhanced by numerous black and white illustrations, chiefly title pages.

[description from The Journal of Library History (1974-1987) Vol. 13, No. 2 (Spring, 1978), pp. 211-213, published by University of Texas Press]

225 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Smitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is essentially a consolidation and expansion of various entries having to do with books and bookmaking that appear in the Encyclopedia Judaica from 1972. As such, it's dense, exhaustive, and organized by topic. Depending on what you're looking for, those qualities can count for or against it.